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Centre Daily Times May 30 2005, page B4
Veterans memorialized in granite
By Rich Kerstetter; rkerstet@centredaily.com
"As is the case with many civic projects, the county's Soldiers and Sailors Monument took more lime to plan than it did to build.
But, as Edward L. Pierce wrote in the April 1971 issue of Centre County Heritage, "after a 'long period of much talk and little action, things began to move in the year 1901."
"The plan was to erect a monument that would list all of the names of soldiers and sailors who had fought in every war of the nation and, at the same time, a memorial for the great Civil War governor," explained "Bellefonte: Fountain of Governors."
James Harris, James P. Coburn and Austin Curtin were appointed to a committee "to see that Centre County was thoroughly canvassed and everybody given an opportunity to contribute something, no matter how little or how big a sum, toward the monument"
By September, the Democratic Watchman reported, the committee had received more than $6,000 in addition to the $10,000 promised from the state. The next step was to settle on a design.
Mother committee, which included Pennsylvania State College President George W. Atherton and former Gov. James A. 'Beaver, initially chose George Grey Barnard, of New York, described in "Fountain of Governors" as a "distinguished sculptor and Bellefonte native," for the project.
The Watchman, on July 22, 1904, carried a picture of Barnard's "impressive design for the Curtin Memorial and Soldier's and Sailors Monument, approved by the original committee, but later abandoned because of inability to raise sufficient funds for its erection."
According to "Fountain of Governors," "it was found to be too wide for the 'downtown' side of the Diamond and too high for the front of the courthouse. Cost was another factor, so the committee went back into a huddle."
A second photo in the Watchman showed "the monument designed by the Van Amringe Co., of Boston, which will be erected at a cost of $33,000." Beaver reported to his committee in August 1905 "that he had been in New York and had seen some of the granite work and bronze figures of the monument and that they were excellent," the Watchman reported. Two months later, J.E. Roche, of Westerly, RI., arrived in Bellefonte "for the purpose of super-intending the erection" of the monument to Curtin and the county's veterans, including the inscription of their names.
"A visit to the monument will show you the names of veterans of the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Occupation," Pierce wrote. "An estimated 4,000 names are on the bronze plates."
The Watchman described the work in great detail.
'The monument is built of Barre granite and is semi-circular in shape, being fifty-four feet from end to end, twenty-eight feet deep and eleven feet high," the Watchman reported. "At either end are large bronze panels representing War' and 'Peace."
The Curtin statue in the center, according to the Watchman, "is eighteen feet in height, including an eleven-foot pedestal and a nine-foot figure of the 'Old War Governor."
Finally, in early June 1906, the monument was ready to be dedicated.
"A giant parade was held in the morning," the account in "Fountain of Governors" states. "Every band in the county was on hand and the line of march included representatives from every borough and township."
Gov. Samuel W. Pennypaker was the main speaker during the afternoon ceremony, which was expected to include "an elaborate electric unveiling setup," with the granddaughters of Gov. Curtin and Civil War veteran Joseph Fox given the honor of throwing the switch.
The unveiling did not go off as planned, however.
"Someone in the crowd bumped' the button at the wrong time," according to the account in "Fountain of Governors."
Pierce was less charitable in his essay.
"Some practical joker in the crowd pulled the cords and unveiled the monument and statue before the girls had a chance to press the button, but the girls were introduced anyway," he wrote.
Alexander K. McClure, of Philadelphia, was unable to attend the dedication ceremony, but his speech, 'The life and Character of Hon. Andrew Gregg Curtin," was read to the crowd and printed in the Democratic Watchman over 3 1/2 columns.
"It was," Pierce concluded, "a great day in Centre County."
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