''Peace Monument'' is a

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

Decatur, Indiana Decatur is a city in Root Township, Adams County, Indiana, Root and Washington Township, Adams County, Indiana, Washington townships, Adams County, Indiana, Adams County, Indiana, United States. It is the county seat (and the largest communit ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is a

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 ...

devoted to peace, active women in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and as a general war memorial commemorating the sacrifice of soldiers in war. It is the first monument in the United States specifically devoted to peace.

Description

''Peace Monument'' is made of Indiana limestone and metal. The front of the piece has an

allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...

Peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

, represented as a

woman A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or Adolescence, adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functi ...

. She stands to the proper left and wears

armor Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...

. Her hair is styled in a

bun A bun is a type of bread that is round and small enough that it can generally be eaten hand-held. Whether a bun is considered sweetened or unsweetened differs between countries: it is considered sweetened in the United Kingdom, a savory bread in ...

. In her proper left hand she wields a

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

representing the

which she holds in front of herself, and it sits on the ground in front of her feet. Her right arm is outstretched in front of her. It sits upon a

laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (mus ...

twig. The twig sits upon four furled flags which lay across the top of the cenotaph, centered. She has a sword, which rests in a

scabbard A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword, dagger, knife, or similar edged weapons. Rifles and other long guns may also be stored in scabbards by horse riders for transportation. Military cavalry and cowboys had scabbards for their saddle ring ...

, strapped to her proper left side, just behind the shield. Bronze panels on either side of Peace include the names of 1,276 veterans from Adams County. The back of the cenotaph has the words inscribed: :TO THE GLORY OF OUR COUNTRY :AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF :OUR SOLDIER HEROS :TO THE WOMEN OF OUR NATION :AS A TRIBUTE TO THEIR :COURAGE DEVOTION AND SACRIFICE The back of the cenotaph has a

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

depicting a

nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

treating a wounded soldier. The cenotaph used to house a fountain which poured into a trough just beneath the relief. Near the relief, is a metal tablet that is installed on the cenotaph. The metal was taken from USS ''Maine''. Inscribed on the plaque are the words "IN MEMORIAM/U.S.S. MAINE". The plaque was unearthed in 2008, during a restoration project by the county. There is a bench at the cenotaph base. Two urns are placed in front of the cenotaph, for plantings, and sit in front of Peace.

Acquisition

The development for the sculpture was started by the historian French Quinn. He headed up the placing of flowers on veterans graves during

Decoration Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States for National day of mourning, mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States ...

. Quinn wrote an editorial in the '' Decatur Daily Democrat'' called "Let's Build a Soldiers Monument" and demanded that funds be raised to build a war memorial. The result was a property tax program, supported by the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

, that helped raise the funds. The tax was 7 cents for every $100 paid. The piece was created between 1912 and 1913 and installation began in July 1913. Development of the piece was led by Sam Henry Post from the Grand Army of the Republic and John H. Heller. The county contributed $10,000 for the piece to be created. Delays in the finalization of the work pushed the dedication back by two weeks. It was dedicated on October 30, 1913. State Governor

Samuel M. Ralston Samuel Moffett Ralston (December 1, 1857 – October 14, 1925) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 28th governor of the U.S. state of Indiana and a United States senator from Indiana. Born into a large imp ...

attended the ceremony.

Information

The idea for the monument was first brought to the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

, which suggested that Quinn and the city talk to Charles Mulligan. Mulligan became the sculptor for the piece. It was carved by Charles Dodd. George Wemhoff of Wemhoff Monument Works engineered and his company fabricated and installed it. The cenotaph is a general war memorial, with a special focus on the importance of peace and the role of women in the American Civil War. Specifically, it memorializes the Civil War, the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

and the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. The quarry used to supply the Indiana limestone was the same that supplied the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2013, the county celebrated the 100th anniversary of ''Peace Monument''. A re-dedication ceremony was held at the site.

Margaret McMasters Van Slyke

The model for Peace, was Margaret McMasters Van Slyke, who was from

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Around 1904, Van Slyke was named the "best and most perfectly formed woman" by

Bernarr Macfadden Bernarr Macfadden (born Bernard Adolphus McFadden, August 16, 1868 – October 12, 1955) was an American proponent of physical culture, a combination of bodybuilding with nutritional and health theories. He founded the long-running magazine pu ...

. She was described as having a "fascinating type of beauty so often spoken of as Grecian".

Condition

The sculpture went through conservation and was cleaned and coated with sealant in 1991 by JRS Builders. It was surveyed by the

Save Outdoor Sculpture! Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999. History Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Heri ...

program in 1993. It was described, in August that year, as needing treatment. In the late 1990s, portions of the cenotaph were repaired. In 2008, bronze plaques were resealed. During the 2013

centennial A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

celebration, the county aimed to raise $40,000 to restore the monument. Funds would also support the inscription of veterans from the county who served after 1913.

References

{{reflist 1913 sculptures Cenotaphs in the United States Buildings and structures in Adams County, Indiana Spanish–American War memorials in the United States Monuments and memorials in Indiana Limestone sculptures in Indiana