Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Cleveland) facts for kids

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument on Public Square in Downtown Cleveland.

Lady Liberty atop the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument with the Terminal Tower in the background.

Sailors from the guided-missile submarine USS Ohio (SSGN-726) tour the monument with retired Navy submariner Timothy Leslie during Cleveland Navy Week in 2010.

One of the four sculptural groupings on the monument's exterior.

The Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is a special monument in Cleveland, Ohio. It honors over 9,000 people from Cuyahoga County who served in the Civil War. These brave individuals fought for the Union during the war.

The monument was officially opened on July 4, 1894. You can find it on the southeast side of Public Square in Downtown Cleveland. A Civil War veteran named Levi Scofield designed the monument and its sculptures. The monument is usually open to everyone for free. Thousands of visitors come to see it every year.

Building the Monument: A Look Inside

The monument stands on a raised base. From this base, a tall column reaches 125 feet (38.1 meters) into the sky. At the very top of the column is a 15-foot (4.5 meter) statue. This statue shows a figure representing Liberty.

Levi Scofield, who designed this monument, was a famous architect and sculptor. He also designed the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. Another building he designed in Cleveland is now called The Kimpton Schofield Hotel.

Inside the monument, you'll find a peaceful space. Bronze panels tell the story of the war. They show when the war began and ended. One panel also shows when Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. Another panel lists the names of 100 women. These women were part of the Northern Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Relief Society. A Catholic nun from the Ursuline order is also shown on this panel.

The memorial building has many marble tablets. These tablets list the names of 9,000 Civil War veterans. These veterans either served with Cuyahoga County regiments or were from the county. You can also see four bronze sculptures inside the base. They show scenes like the Soldiers' Aid Society and the Emancipation of the Slaves. There are also busts (head and shoulder sculptures) of important Ohio officers who died in the war.

In 2011, researchers found something important. The names of 140 Black soldiers from the area were missing from the tablets. After many years of hard work, 107 members of the United States Colored Troops were added. This happened on June 19, 2019, with a special ceremony.

Restoring the Monument: Making it New Again

Work to restore the monument started on October 26, 2008. The project was expected to take about nine months. It cost around $1.5 million. Money for the restoration came from different places. This included federal, state, and local governments. Veterans' groups and community groups also helped.

The restoration work involved many tasks. Workers cleaned the stone inside and outside. They made structural repairs and painted parts of the monument. Chandeliers were restored, and new heating and lighting were installed. The beautiful stained-glass windows were repaired. Air conditioning was added, and the monument was made easier for disabled visitors to access.

When the marble tablets were first made, names were etched with acid and then inked. Over time, the ink discolored the marble. Workers carefully cleaned each name. They brought back the marble's original look. The newly renovated monument opened on June 5, 2010. The total cost for the work was $2 million.

For many years, plants around the monument showed designs. These designs were based on 24 army corps badges and 5 Civil War organization badges. After the restoration, volunteer gardeners used over 16,000 plants. They recreated the 5 organization badges. They also made two new designs from illustrations inside the monument. One more design honored the Daughters of Union Veterans. The plants cost $6,500 and were grown specially for this project. The 24 army badges could not be recreated due to budget limits.

Images for kids

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  Civil War Soldiers on Public Square (1865)

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  Original plaque on display near the North and South entrances of the monument.

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  Levi T. Scofield c. 1894.

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  Stereoscopic image of Oliver Hazard Perry Statue likely between 1880 and 1890.

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  The Southeast quadrant after the 1988 redesign and before the extensive 2015-2016 renovation of Public Square.

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  Redesign of Public Square showing the course set up for American Ninja Warrior which was filmed just outside the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in 2017.

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  Figure of liberty and the ornate capital on which she stands.

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  Photomechanical print c.1900 showing the original design of the landscaping, featuring the corps badges.

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  At Short Range, with Terminal Tower in the background

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  The Color Guard.

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  North side of the monument.

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  Caretaker and retired Navy submariner Timothy Leslie (right) discusses the Beginning of the War in Ohio Panel with Rear Adm. Julius S. Caesar, vice director of Joint Concept Development & Experimentation at U.S. Joint Forces Command (left), during Cleveland Navy Week in August, 2010.

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  Member of the U.S. Navy studies the names of Civil War veterans engraved on the marble tablets.

See also

In Spanish: Monumento a los soldados y marineros (Cleveland) para niños