You probably saw the Wayne Maris picture of the new Civil War Veterans memorial in this past Thursday's Review. It is to be mounted on a platform and placed at Wellsville's Veteran Memorial at 4th & Riverside. I recently visited the Memorial to check out the names on the plaque. It only goes back to WWI with names of Wellsville people that lost their lives fighting for our country. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think we had Wellsville residents die in the Civil War too. Wasn't there something in the paper not too long ago about tomb stones being replaced up on the hill? Was that for veterans that served or soldiers that lost their lives? I can't remember.
A big thanks should go out to all those that were involved in getting the Civil War stone past the idea stage into a reality. Bill Yost, Don Brown and Melvin Boggs have donated so much of their time and worked hard over the years to keep our veterans in a place of honor. As a Nam vet I surely appreciate their efforts.
On the rigth is a picture of what the Memorial looks like today. 
And here, on the left, is a picture of a post card of what the Memorial looked like way back when. This is another picture that my friend "John Doe Smith" sent me. Again I have no date but I'm guessing it goes back to the early post Civil War days. The men on horse back look like they may have Civil War uniforms on. Notice the cannons. I may be goofy but I seem to recall hearing that they were taken and melted down for the war effort in WWII. The pedestals are still there today. They are used for planters. Basically it is pretty much the same. A lot of the ornate stuff is no longer there but the bases for the decorations around the perimeter are. The base for the flag pole and plaque are pretty much in the same place. Back then they looked like concrete. Today they are made of stone. Did you notice that Riverside was a dirt street just past the Memorial? Check out the shore line along the river banks. They disappeared when they built Montgomery & Stratton Dams. I remember the shore lines being like that back in the 1950s. See the train cars parked in front of the memorial? I wonder if that's where the train parked when Abe Lincoln disembarked and went to the Whittacre House?
If you're able, try to get up there for the Memorial Day Services this year. It's in honor of all our veterans and you can witness history in the making with the dedication of the new Civil War Memorial. Take a picture. It can be passed on to future generations for them to see what it was like "way back then".
2 comments:
I'm pretty sure Wellsville did have some K.I.A.'s during the Civil War, not sure if any are buried on the hill. There are plenty of veterans of that war that are buried up there. A couple months ago Memorial Council had a stone placed on one such man's grave. There are more coming. If anyone has an ancestor who was in the military that needs a stone, see Don Brown.
I wonder if the post card is actually a reproductive drawing depicting Civil War times?
I would not have thought there would be any hard-paved streets during the 1860s (you pointed out part of Riverside was dirt and the rest looks almost like concrete).
But, I may be wrong. Just an observation.
Post a Comment