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Community Corner

Great Escape: Visit Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument for Memorial Day

Honor soldiers past and present with a trip to the monument this holiday weekend

Memorial Day Weekend is a perfect time to show our armed forces that they are being thought about with a visit to the historic sites that honor veterans of the past. 

The 116-year-old Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, which is the focal point of downtown Cleveland’s Public Square, opened on July 4, 1894, to commemorate the city’s sacrifices during the Civil War. 

A 125-foot-tall column is topped with a statue of the Goddess of Freedom to memorialize the Cuyahoga County veterans who gave their lives to the cause from the Navy, Artillery, Infantry and Cavalry.  The monument was rededicated last June following a $2 million renovation. 

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While you may have driven past hundreds of times, you may not be aware that there is an entry into the statue that leads to a Memorial Room beneath the imposing spire, where the names of 9,000 veterans who served the Union are etched into marble tablets.  The room also houses several huge bronze relief sculptures of nurses tending to soldiers, Lincoln emancipating a slave and other battle scenes. 

The monument is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, and admission is free.

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While Memorial Day is a terrific way to kick off summer with parades, picnics and baseball, let’s not forget to pay tribute to its true meaning as well.

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