(Proper right side of self base:) Spirit of the American Doughboy/copyrighted by E.M. Viquesney, sculptor (Bronze plaque on front of base:) (eagle with wings spread) ERECTED 1927 BY/FRANCIS M. DODGE/WILBERT M. ALLEN/AND OTHER CITIZENS/IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION/OF THE PATRIOTIC SERVICE/RENDERED BY/FOUNTAIN COUNTY/MEN AND WOMEN/DURING THE WORLD WAR/1917-1918 (Rear of base:) FOR GOD AND COUNTRY signed

On base:) SPIRIT OF THE AMERICAN DOUGHBOY/COPYRIGHTED BY E.M. VIQUESNEY/SPENCER INDIANA

(On bronze base of sculpture:) SPIRIT OF THE/AMERICAN NAVY/COPYRIGHTED BY/E.M. VIQUESNEY SCULPTOR/SPENSER, INDIANA (On front of archway:) LOYALTY COURAGE SACRIFICE VICTORY ALLEN COUNTY AND FORT WAYNE/THEIR TRIBUTE/TO THE GLORY OF THEIR SONS (On plaque on inside of archway:) HONOR ROLL/1917-1918/THOSE WHO MADE THE SUPREME/SACRIFICE IN THE WORLD WAR/FROM ALLEN COUNTY AND FORT WAYNE (list of names) (On plaque on north side of archway:) ERECTED IN 1928 BY THE CITIZENS OF/ALLEN COUNTY AND FORT WAYNE/UNDER THE AUSPICES OF COMMITTEES/(list of names)

(On bronze base of sculpture:) SPIRIT OF THE/AMERICAN DOUGHBOY/COPYRIGHTED BY/E.M. VIQUESNEY SCULPTOR/SPENSER, INDIANA (On front of archway:) LOYALTY COURAGE SACRIFICE VICTORY ALLEN COUNTY AND FORT WAYNE/THEIR TRIBUTE/TO THE GLORY OF THEIR SONS (On plaque on inside of archway:) HONOR ROLL/1917-1918/THOSE WHO MADE THE SUPREME/SACRIFICE IN THE WORLD WAR/FROM ALLEN COUNTY AND FORT WAYNE (list of names) (On plaque on north side of archway:) ERECTED IN 1928 BY THE CITIZENS OF/ALLEN COUNTY AND FORT WAYNE/UNDER THE AUSPICES OF COMMITTEES/(list of names)

This is a full-sized bronze figure of a World War I infantryman advancing through the barbed wire and stumps of No Man's Land, holding a rifle and a hand grenade. It was sculpted by E.M. Viquesney and erected to honor Bethel's war veterans.

The Spirit of the American Doughboy

100 Cities / 100 Memorials

The Village of Swanton is a small town outside of Toledo, Ohio. Its prized landmark is The Spirit of the American Doughboy statue. The statue was a gift from the French people, the only one donated to a city in the United States by the Republic of France, in gratitude for the sacrifice of Swanton, which had an exceptionally large number of victims,  during the war.  It is a copper alloy statue of a World War I infantryman carrying a rifle and grenade as he advances through the barbed wire and stumps of No Man's Land. It is mounted on a base of marble chunks and mortar, and a lower base of fieldstone chunks and mortar.  The Swanton Doughboy was dedicated on July 5 1926 and, following years of deterioration, was restored and rededicated on Memorial Day 2015. 

Plaque: DEDICATED TO/THE MEMORY OF OUR COMRADES/WHO ENTERED THE SERVICE/OF THEIR COUNTRY/FROM WARE COUNTY/AND WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/IN THE WORLD WAR/..../SPONSORED BY/WARE CO. POST NO. 10, AMERICAN LEGION/NOVEMBER 11, 1935

Rear, inscribed below American Legion symbol: Ware County Post No. 10/Nov. 11, 1935/Dr. Paul K. McGee post Com./Doughboy Committee/Dr. Henry J. Carswell Chr./Walter E. Lee. Karl R. Porter/J.A. Rollison. W.D. Waldron./Geo. U. Gates. Clem Hardy./Mrs. Paul K. McGee. Ira Thomas./Mrs. Witherspoon Daniel. signed

(On bronze plaque on front of base:) HONOR ROLL/DIED IN SERVICE/(list of names)/LEST WE FORGET/THOSE FROM BLACKFORD COUNTY WHO/ANSWERED THEIR COUNTRY'S CALL IN THE WORLD WAR/APRIL 6TH 1917 TO NOV. 11, 1918/OUR BOYS

(On bronze plaque on east side of base: list of names)

(On bronze plaque back of base:) WHEN THE SERVICE FLAG HAS FADED,/AND THE HANDS THAT IT CARESSED/HAVE BEEN FOLDED CALM AND PEACEFUL/ON EACH MOTHER'S LOVING BREAST,/THEN, "THE TORCH THEY PASSED UNTO US"/WE WILL BEAR FOREVER ON,/WITH OUR LIVES WE WILL DEFEND IT/ -WE, LIKE THEY, WILL "CARRY ON."/(list of names)

(On bronze plaque on west side of base: list of names)

Dedicated in 1927

Managed and maintained by the Veterans Memorial Commission. The Veterans Memorial Building,
is on the National Register of Historic Places, and boasts numerous memorials
to U.S. Veterans with a magnificent stained glass window by artist Grant Wood.
A Cenotaph stands proudly atop the eight story section; an empty coffin stands
above the Cenotaph represents The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In 1926
Memorial Building architect Henry Hornbostel modeled the cenotaph Memorial
after the famous monument that stands in Whitehall, London, England. The
Commissions Museum and galleries contain over 2,500 artifacts, with many on
display in two galleries that flanks the stained glass window on the 1st floor.
The building, with its location on May’s Island in the middle of the Cedar River,
offers stunning views from the ballrooms.

This World War I memorial of a bronze doughboy is depicted striding forward with his rifle held over his left shoulder and a large pack on his back.  In his extended right hand, he carries his helmet and an olive branch. 

The memorial was erected in 1924 under the sponsorship of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, who raised $10,000 in contributions from the community. 

The figure was designed by Robert Tait McKenzie of Philadelphia; the Indiana limestone base by Paul P. Cret, head of the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.

Narrative adapted from James D. Carpenteer, “History of Woodbury” (1936) and Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #77002574.

Photos courtesy of:  NJ State Historic Preservation Office

The Victory Arch

100 Cities / 100 Memorials

Following the end of the Great World War, the citizens of the Ninth Ward of New Orleans erected a "Victory Arch." The carved stone arch, reminiscent of the ancient triumphal arches of the the Roman Empire (such as the Arch of Titus), was originally located in the center of Macarty Square, bounded by Alvar, N.Rampart, Pauline, and Burgundy Streets. In 1951 it was moved to the edge of the square near Burgundy Street, where it remains today.
Inscription: Erected A.D. 1919 by the people of this the Ninth Ward in honor of its citizens who were enlisted in combative service and in memory of those who made the supreme sacrifice for the triumph of right over might in the Great World War.

The Victory Highway monument is a representation of the earlier bronze eagle markers of the 1920s. Original eagle markers were to be located at each county line with a plaque dedicated to the sons and daughters who served their country in World War I, sacrificing their lives for our freedom. Only five original bronze eagles are known to be in existence, two in Kansas and three in California. The Victory Highway is a near-forgotten relic of the early 20th century roadways, a path traversed by early auto-pioneers from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. The road you are standing on today was completed in 1925 and used until the 1940s. Highway U.S. 40 replaced the Victory Highway to the south, which is now known as Wendover Boulevard. The arch represents the Victory Highway sign, used at the only documented official ceremony opening the Victory Highway. The ceremony took place on June 25, 1925, just east of Wendover on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Officiating were Utah Governor George Dern, Nevada Governor James Scrugham, and Secretary of Agriculture William Jardine.

The Victory Highway Association incorporated in Topeka, Kansas, late in 1921 to locate and mark a transcontinental highway. Victory Highway, dedicated to American Forces who died in World War I, traversed the United States from New York City to San Francisco. In 1925, the transcontinental route offered a panorama of the mid-section of the country that epitomizes the western expansion of the Nation from Colonial days to the present time. For 3,205 miles, this great motorway follows the same course, or one closely parallel, as that of the earliest settlers of the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri valleys, crossing 14 states in all. Less than 14 per cent or 788 miles of the highway was unimproved.

From Salt Lake City, the Victory Highway skirts around Great Salt Lake over the famous Wendover Cutoff. The crossing of the salt flats between Salt Lake City and Wendover on the Utah/Nevada border was costly, involving five years of labor. The remarkable engineering feat bridged what was once a great obstacle to transcontinental motor travel, the Bonneville Salt Flats. This accomplishment blazed a new auto-route across northern Nevada to Reno, parallel to the Lincoln Highway to the south. In the early to mid-twenties, only 81 miles of the 371 miles of the Victory Highway across Utah were paved, 107 miles consisted of gravel surfacing, and 183 miles were relatively unimproved. The Victory Highway was designated Route No. 40 by state and federal highway officials shortly after the Wendover Cutoff was completed, and the Victory Highway was used until it was replaced in the 1940s.

An original culvert to the east of this marker still exists today. When a newer portion of Highway 40 was constructed in the 1940s, this section of the Victory Highway, along with culverts, was left intact. Constructed of stone and galvanized steel, these culverts are a testament to the skills of road engineers and rock masons of the early 19th century.

This is a bronze sculpture of a German Shepherd wearing a red cross blanket, standing atop a rough hewn granite boulder. The dog's ears are perked up and its tail is extended straight, in an alert stance. By its front paws are a canteen and a helmet with an indentation, perhaps a shrapnel hole.  The War Dog was dedicated in 1923 to honor the 7,000 military dogs killed during World War I.  The original cost of the monument was $2,500, which was considered to be an enormous amount of money at the time. It was designed by Walter A. Buttendorf and sculpted by Robert Caterson, a well-known designer and builder who had worked on many distinguished buildings including Grand Central Station in New York City.

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THE WAR DOG. ERECTED BY PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION BY DOG LOVERS TO MAN’S MOST FAITHFUL FRIEND FOR THE VALIANT SERVICES RENDERED IN THE WORLD WAR 1914 - 1918.

The War Dog Memorial

The War Dog - Military War Dogs have been fighting alongside our men and women in uniform in many of our conflicts. In WWI they were called Ambulance Dogs, they were trained to find wounded soldiers in No-Man’s land after a frontal attack. In WWII they were trained in many disciplines; scout, tracker, sentry and messenger. According to Military records War Dogs saved 15,000 lives during this conflict.

In Korea there were only one War Dog platoon deployed consisting of about 28 dogs. Of those 28 dogs on patrol, thousands of ambushes were averted. Thousands of lives were saved. In Vietnam further disciplines were added to their training; explosive detection and booby traps. According to the Military they saved 10,000 lives during this conflict. In Iraq their main function were detecting IED's. Their other duties were sentry and road side check points. They continue on duty today in Afghanistan. There are currently 600 teams deployed saving lives every day.

 Today the War Dog is referred to as Military Working Dog (MWD)

A German Shepherd wearing a Red Cross blanket stands on a rough-hewn boulder. The dog stands in an alert stance with head and ears perked up and tail extended nearly straight. A canteen and helmet lie below the dog's front paws. The helmet has an indentation, possibly representative of a shrapnel hole.

Erected in 1923 in memory of the 7,000 military dogs that served in World War I, the monument also serves as a memorial to all military dogs, many of whom are buried in the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery. The sculpture was reportedly modeled after a dog, who with its owner, daily passed the office of designer Walter A. Buttendorf. The monument was funded with public contributions, including pennies from school children. The cemetery donated the parcel of land.

The Wheeling Doughboy was dedicated on Memorial Day 1931.  The statue, affectionately known locally as "Lester", is named in honor of Wagoner Lester Scott, a doughboy from Wheeling who was killed during WWI.​  It is one of many identical "Spirit of the American Doughboy" monuments designed by Ernest Moore "E.M." Viquesney.  Following years of neglect, in a state of disrepair (dented, rusted, missing bayonet and rifle, cracked base), the doughboy was restored and rededicated in 2020. 

The inscriptions on the left and right lower sides of the cenotaph read:

ERECTED BY
WHEELING CHAPTER
NO. 1
SERVICE STAR LEGION
1931

IN HONOR
OF ALL
WHO SERVED
IN WORLD WAR
1917   -   1918

In memory of those who gave theri lives