The ''Spanish–American War Soldier's Monument'', also known as the ''Spanish–American War Memorial'' or simply ''Soldiers Monument'', is an outdoor sculpture and

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

monument honoring the dead of the

2nd Oregon Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 2nd Oregon Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a military regiment recruited in the U.S. state of Oregon during the Spanish–American War. As the first foreign war in U.S. history, it was the first time members of the Oregon National Guard had fo ...

of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

and

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. The monument was created by American artist

Douglas Tilden Douglas Tilden (May 1, 1860 to August 5, 1935) was an American sculptor. He was deaf from a bout of scarlet fever at the age of four and attended the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley, California (now in Fremont, California). He ...

and located in Lownsdale Square, in the

Plaza Blocks The Plaza Blocks, two courthouse squares known as Chapman Square and Lownsdale Square, are located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The blocks are north of Terry Schrunk Plaza and east of City Hall. The northmost square is named after ...

of downtown

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. It features a bronze statue on a marble pedestal and granite base. The monument is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the

Regional Arts & Culture Council The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is an organization that administers arts grants in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties that also do advocacy in the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon, United States. It evolved from the city� ...

Description

The memorial statue was designed by sculptor Douglas Tilden and installed in Lownsdale Square in Portland's

in 1906 to honor the

troops who served in the

. It features two

Howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

cannons, set low to the ground, which were collected in 1902 by Henry E. Dosch. He was given permission by the War Department to bring them to Portland after he found them buried in sand in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. There is also a bronze plaque which reads: "Howitzers fired in the defense of Fort Sumpter 1861".

History

Plans for a monument to honor the dead of the 2nd Oregon Volunteers began early in 1899 with the sale of book subscriptions for $0.25 with a small percentage going toward the monument. The monument committee favored a design similar to one in honor of the 39th Pennsylvania Infantry at Gettysburg with a bronze statue and a marble pedestal. The committee also required that the base, shaft, and cornice be cut from a single piece of granite and remain in one piece. E.W. Wright, the Portland representative of a quarry in

Barre, Vermont Barre, Vermont may refer to: *Barre (city), Vermont *Barre (town), Vermont Barre ( ) is a New England town, town in Washington County, Vermont, Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,923 at the 2020 census, making it the 3r ...

, received a contract for $8,000, and the stone was cut in Vermont from Barre Granite and shipped to Portland. A $5,000 contract was awarded for the statue. Weight of the pedestal was , and when topped by the statue the height was about .

References

External links

*
A Guide to Portland Public Art
(PDF), pg. 3, Regional Arts & Culture Council
Oregon: End of the Trail
pg. 128, Workers of the Writers' Program of the Works Progress Administration in the State of Oregon

by Mike Francis (April 12, 2011), ''The Oregonian'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Spanish-American War Soldier's Monument 1906 establishments in Oregon 1906 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Oregon Granite sculptures in Oregon Marble sculptures in Oregon Monuments and memorials in Portland, Oregon Outdoor sculptures in Portland, Oregon Plaza Blocks Sculptures by American artists Sculptures of men in Oregon Spanish–American War memorials in the United States Statues in Portland, Oregon Vandalized works of art in Oregon

Description

History

See also

References

External links