Pershing Point Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pershing Point Park |
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Pershing Point Park (2020)
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| Location | Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
Pershing Point Park, also known as Pershing Point Memorial Park, is a small public park in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. This park is located in midtown Atlanta. It is found where Peachtree Street and West Peachtree Street meet. The park was opened in the 1920s. It honors General of the Armies John J. Pershing. It also has a special memorial for soldiers from Fulton County who died in World War I. Another important statue, the World Athletes Monument, is also in the park. In 2018, a newspaper called The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said this park was one of three World War I memorials in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Park History
Remembering World War I Soldiers
The idea for Pershing Point Park came from the American War Mothers. They wanted to build a memorial for soldiers from Fulton County, Georgia who died in World War I. The best spot for this memorial was a triangle of land. It was where two main streets in Atlanta, Peachtree Street and West Peachtree Street, crossed.
The memorial was officially opened in 1920. More than 3,000 people came to the ceremony. Georgia Governor Hugh Dorsey read the names of 130 Fulton County residents. These names were carved into the granite memorial. The memorial is at the tip of the park's triangle shape. On each side of it are granite benches. These benches have the names of big battles from World War I carved on them.
The park itself was named after General of the Armies John J. Pershing. He was a very important leader. He led the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. The dedication ceremony was led by Atlanta Mayor James L. Key. It included prayers and speeches. In 1927, the famous pilot Charles Lindbergh visited the memorial. He placed a wreath there to show respect.
World Athletes Monument and Park Updates
In the 1990s, Atlanta was getting ready for the 1996 Summer Olympics. A new monument was built at Pershing Point. It was on the other side of the street from the World War I memorial. This new monument is called the World Athletes Monument. It was paid for by Charles, Prince of Wales. It stands about 55 feet (17 meters) tall. In 1997, the Atlanta City Council renamed the area around this monument. They called it Princess Diana Memorial Plaza. This was after the sad death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
In early 2013, work began to make the park better. This included trimming plants, adding new landscaping, and fixing the old memorial. These updates were finished the next year. After the park was restored, the World War I memorial was rededicated. This happened on the 100th anniversary of the event that started World War I. That event was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Governor Nathan Deal spoke at this ceremony.
