The "Lancaster's Square" Story

The "Soldiers and Sailors Monument" in Center Square
in downtown Lancaster in 1874 on the
day it was dedicated.  The original stockade
fencing can be seen surrounding the monument.

It was an ordinary day.  Just passing through the center of Lancaster on my way home.  I do this a few times a week and so often never take the time to look at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument which stands in the center of Penn Square.  The monument is a 43-foot tall Gothic Revival memorial which was dedicated on July 4, 1874.  The original intention of the monument was to pay tribute to Lancaster's Union soldiers who were killed in the Civil War, but now honor all military who have served in any American conflict.  At one time Lancaster's old courthouse stood on the same site and it was there that the 1744 Treaty of Lancaster between the British and Iroquois was signed.  The old Lancaster Courthouse was also the site where on September 27, 1777 the Second Continental Congress met during the American Revolutionary War.  The historic courthouse burned to the ground in 1784 and was eventually replaced with the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.  The monument is made of Rhode Island granite topped with a statute of a robed woman on a pedestal known as the "Genius of Liberty".  She holds a drawn sword and a shield and carries a crown with stars on her head.  The woman faces north to signify she is facing away from the former Confederate States of America which were defeated in the Civil War.  Around the woman are statues of four men who represent the four branches of the armed services: U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Cavalry, and the Artillery.  Carved in the granite pillar which supports the woman are inscriptions that include the Battle of Antietam, Battle of Chickamauga, Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Malvern Hill, Battle of Petersburg, and the Battle of the Wilderness.  At the base of the monument is carved the inscription "Erected by the people of Lancaster County/To the memory of their fellow citizens who fell/In defense of the Union/In the War of the Rebellion/1861-1865".  Since 1874, other bronze plaques have been added to commemorate the role of African Americans in the military, those killed in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.  The monument was commissioned on November 4, 1872 to stand on Center Square which is the present day Penn Square.  It was originally surrounded by stockade fencing with dirt streets passing around it on all four sides.  The monument was officially dedicated at 1:00 PM on July 4, 1874.  The "Genius of Liberty" was draped in an American flag.  in 1877 an iron fence replaced the stockade fencing.  In 1931 a plaque containing the Gettysburg Address and a likeness of Abraham Lincoln were added.  Numerous times it was suggested to move the monument to alleviate traffic congestion, but it still remains on the same site as it did in 1874.  The iron fencing was removed to allow better traffic flow, but granite curbing was added to protect it from collisions.  In 1978 a woman committed suicide by crashing her car into the monument and damaging the sailor statute.  The statue was later repaired with cement.  I often walk past the monument and marvel at the history it exudes.  Love to touch the monument and statutes and think about all who have touched it before me.  Lancaster is deep in historical sites and the Sailors and Soldiers Monument is at the center of it all.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The stockade fencing was replaced with iron fencing seen here.

Another view of Center Square with the monument on the right.

The monument as it now appears in Penn Square with concrete around it.