New Jersey

This World War I monument, centered in a grassy area, consists of a rusticated, pink granite stele set on a concrete slab.  A bronze plaque with eared corners & a semi-oval top projection, is attached to the stele, and honors local residents who fought in the war. 

A circular plaque with a laurel wreath & five-point bas-relief star is centered above the honor roll, honoring an individual veteran. 

Photos courtesy of:  NJ State Historic Preservation Office 

This monument consists of a WWI doughboy statue atop a quarry-faced stone base & concrete slab.  The soldier stands at attention with his rifle in his right hand with the butt resting on the ground.

A bronze plaque on the front of the monument contains an honor roll of local residents who served in WWI. 

Photo courtesy of:  RC & Historical Marker Database

The Spring Lake Community House is one of a small number of functional memorials constructed in New Jersey.  It was dedicated to those who served in World War I and as a center for the community for 'social and educational purposes.' 

Funds for the Community House were donated by Oliver H. Brown, a prominent Spring Lake civic leader, politician and philanthropist.  He was elected in 1896 to the NJ State Assembly,and served as a delegate to the 1900 Republican National Convention.  He later simultaneously held the offices of mayor of Spring Lake and NJ State Senator.  Brown was a leading businessman who owned OH Brown's Furniture Store, and served as president of the First National Bank of Spring Lake. 

The building was designed by New York architect, Frank Eaton Newman and built by local contractor, Horace Moore.  The Tudor Revival structure houses the Spring Lake Library, a 350-seat theater, and meeting rooms.  Since 1978, the Spring Lake Theatre Company has called it their home. 

Photos courtesy of:  NJ State Historic Preservation Office 

This memorial consists of an 8' tall bronze figure of an angel standing atop a 7' polished pink granite base.  The angel with full-length wings, is dressed in a long, loose-fitting tunic, stands with its left arm raised up to its chest. The inscribed base is decorated around the upper perimeter with a bronze relief depicting marching World War I soldiers carrying rifles. 

The memorial was erected by the people of Summit, to honor the men of the community who died in WWI. 

The noted sculptress, E. Barretto Parsons was a native of Halifax, VA & studied at the Art League of New York under Daniel Chester French. 

Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #NJ000241 & the NY Times obituary of E. Barretto Parsons. 

Photos courtesy of:  Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS)

The Teaneck memorial is a bronze plaque mounted to the exterior wall of the community’s public library. An elaborate design, it features a frame with shelf sills & lintels, and a relief eagle with wings spread crowning the frame. The plaque contains an honor roll recognizing Teaneck residents who served in WWI.

Photo courtesy of:  NJ State Historic Preservation Office

This World War I memorial consists of a white marble rectangular pillar with multiple tiers.  It is capped with an oval shield listing the war dates of 1917-1918.  On the face of the pillar is a bronze eagle above a protruding marble shelf adorned by a garland wreath.  Originally, the eagle perched on top of a bronze sphere which rested on the shelf, however the sphere is no longer there. 

Beneath the garlanded shelf is attached a vertical rectangular bronze plaque dedicating the memorial to all Tenafly residents who served in the war, and listing the five men who gave their lives.  The memorial was refurbished in 1996. 

Photos courtesy of:  NJ State Historic Preservation Office
Vintage postcard courtesy of: Rutgers University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives

This memorial consists of a bronze honor roll mounted on a rusticated granite pillar listing the men who served from Tuckerton, NJ in World War I.   

It was created by the diligent efforts of the King's Daughters with the support of the  "Tuckerton Beacon" newspaper, which proudly detailed all the individuals who had subscribed to the $500 memorial fund. 

The monument was relocated to Greenwood Cemetery in 1925 after rising waters had undermined its foundation in its original location on Route 9 at Lake Pohatcong. 

Photo courtesy of:  Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission 

This WWI monument consists of two parts.  An rectangular granite slab contains a gabled bronze honor roll set in a frame with an upside-down shield in the gable. 

Placed on the ground in front of the slab is a bronze plaque set on a granite slab dedicating the monument to West Berlin residents who served in the war.  This plaque is dominated by an elaborate relief depiction of a flying eagle above crossed cannons, & a ribbon labeled, "Roll of Honor."  Behind the eagle is the depiction of several partially unfurled flags. 

The monument is located in Veterans Park alongside monuments honoring those who served in other wars. 

Photos courtesy of:  NJ State Historic Preservation Office

The West Paterson WWI Memorial consists of a bronze Honor Roll plaque from the original 1925 memorial, that has been placed on a new, contemporary, vertical granite slab.  The plaque features reliefs of an eagle with spread wings across the top; and in the four corners, images of a battleship, airplane, artillery piece and stacked rifles. The plaque indicates it was erected in honor of the men of West Paterson who served their country during the Great War. 

The original monument, no longer extant, was dedicated  on July 4, 1925 and designed by an unknown sculptor.  It featured a bronze eagle with outspread wings standing on a globe, with the plaque  mounted on a tall, rectangular granite base.

Narrative partially adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #NJ000299.

Photos credit:  NJ State Historic Preservation Office

A small memorial plaque sits beside Woodstown's Memorial Lake, both named in memory of local resident Charles F. Pancoast, Jr. who died in World War I.  The local American Legion Post is also named after him.

Today, additional veterans' memorials have been added both to the plaque and the site, commemorating other wars.  Two mounted cannons are also on display. 

Photos courtesy of:  NJ State Historic Preservation Office

This memorial cannon sits atop a raised, rectangular concrete platform.  It has a metal carriage and features a riveted metal shield for protection to those who fired it. 

An adjacent granite monument reads, "Presented by Garfield Post 255, American Legion.  Dedicated in memory of our deceased comrades.  May 30, 1935." 

Photo courtesy of:  Sheena Chi

This monument consists of an oblong granite base and a vertical granite slab adorned on the front with a bronze relief of a female figure representing Winged Victory.  She stands with her leg, hand & wing extended over the heads of a group of marching World War I soldiers.  She holds a palm frond in her right hand.  She is barefoot & dressed in a sleeveless, ankle-length robe with armor on her upper torso.

The monument was installed by the city to honor the Morristown men who died in WWI.  It was dedicated in 1928, on the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice.  The monument & its setting were designed by John R. Brinley & John S. Holbrook, civil engineers of Morristown. 

Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #NJ000354. 

Photo courtesy of:  Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS)

This WWI bronze plaque honors the memory of members of the First Baptist Church in Haddonfield who served in the war.  It is mounted to the wall in the narthex. 

The memorial entry gates to Ocean Grove flank Main Street at the corner of Route 71. The two posts are set on concrete bases and have shafts marked with a series of squarish and oblong brick panels in the center of each side.  The remainder of the gateposts are sheathed in sandstone. The shafts are topped with capitals made of two stone slabs. Copper & frosted glass cylindrical lanterns sit atop the capitals. 

A bronze plaque mounted on the west side of the south gatepost identifies the gateposts as a memorial to those who fought in World War I.

Photos courtesy of:  NJ State Historic Preservation Office

Originally located in Josiah Crane Park, where it was dedicated in May 1920, the monument was relocated to Memorial Park in 1958. The Cranford monument consists of two vertical, smooth-faced granite slabs set on horizontal granite slab bases - one commemorating WWI, the other, WWII.  Both slabs contain a large bronze plaque listing all of those individuals from Cranford and vicinity who served in the wars. The WWI plaque is surmounted by a bronze, double-headed eagle with outstretched wings, perched on rocks.

Photos courtesy of:  NJ State Historic Preservation Office

This monument consists of an iron cannon placed on a brick & concrete gun carriage.  The carriage has brick walls.  A bronze honor roll plaque is attached to one wall and lists the names of Point Pleasant residents who served in World War I.

Dedication of this plaque occurred in July 1925 with remarks by Rev. Isaac Whitaker of the  Central ME Church.  Two little girls did the unveiling - Jean Baum, age 4 & Aldyth van Camp, age 3. 

Photo courtesy of: RC & Historical Marker Database

The World War I memorial in Chatham includes a small park & honor roll plaque, incorporated with plaques commemorating other wars.  The bronze plaque rests on a boulder located within a small plaza backed by a low, brick wall next to the public library. 

The grassy area to the west of the library is designated a memorial park commemorating those who fought in the Great War.  A bronze plaque mounted on a boulder indicates the park was dedicated on July 5, 1920; rededicated in 1997. 

Photos courtesy of NJ State Historic Preservation Office

Metuchen's triangular Memorial Park was established shortly after World War I to honor the local residents who fought in the war.  Today, it has been refurbished, and commemorations placed for those who fought in subsequent wars as well. 

The original park contained a center monument and flag pole surrounded by a circular hedge.  On the base of the flag pole were affixed three bronze plaques - the center dedication flanked by the alphabetical Honor Roll of local WWI soldiers (see vintage photo). 

Today, the park consists of a grove of trees, each honoring local soldiers from all 20th century wars, planted where the flag pole once stood.  The bronze plaque honor roll has been mounted on an angled concrete base set at a 45-degree angle.  Two square, flanking gateposts of rusticated concrete blocks with a concrete slab form the entrance to the arbor grove behind the honor roll. 

Vintage photo courtesy of:  New Jersey State Archives
Photo of bronze plaque triptych courtesy of:  NJ State Historic Preservation Office
Photo Credits:  Sheena Chi

This is one of two WWI monuments in Westwood, NJ.

This WWI memorial consists of a small rectangular plaza dedicated to the memory of Westwood resident, Sgt. Ralph W. Lester.  It includes an interpretive panel flanked by two low concrete benches positioned around a VFW logo floor tile.

Sgt. Lester enlisted in June 1917 & left for France in May 1918.  He was killed by an nearby exploding shell in the battle of Ronssoy, France.  His body was never found. 

Photos courtesy of:  Bill Coughlin & Historical Marker Database

This unusual two-part monument is located in the center of downtown Scotch Plains. It was constructed by the Victory Celebration Committee of Scotch Plains to recognize contributions of the community to World War I. It includes a flagpole and a cannon.

The cannon, made in Germany, was a gift from the United States Government in recognition that Scotch Plains had the largest percentage of over-subscription to the Victory Liberty Loan of any non-banking community in the Second Federal Reserve District. The subscription totaled almost $700,000.

The second part of the monument is an 80' street angle & latticework flagpole. At the base of the flagpole is a bronze plaque listing the 89 residents who served in the war and the 3 who died in combat. 

Narrative adapted from Images of America: Scotch Plains; Richard & Suzanne Bousquet; 1995. 

Photos courtesy of:  NJ State Historic Preservation Office