The E. M. Viquesney "Spirit of the American Doughboy" Database
Photo: Jefferson Traywick of the Bessemer Industrial Development Board.
BESSEMER, ALABAMA
N 33° 23.969 / W 086° 57.311
Copyright version 1920, pressed copper.
Smithsonian Art Inventory Control Number: NO ENTRY.
Copyright version 1920, pressed copper.
Smithsonian Art Inventory Control Number: NO ENTRY.
In DeBardeleben Park, bounded by 2nd and 3rd Avenues and 16th and 17th Streets.
The inscription on the front plaque reads:
TO THE MEMORY OF
OUR WORLD WAR
HEROES WHO DIED
THAT CIVILIZATION
MIGHT NOT PERISH
FROM THE EARTH
TO THE MEMORY OF
OUR WORLD WAR
HEROES WHO DIED
THAT CIVILIZATION
MIGHT NOT PERISH
FROM THE EARTH
Originally dedicated November 11, 1922 at the corner of 19th Street and Carolina Avenue and moved to its current location when the streets were widened in 1969.
Both sides of the base have honor roll plaques naming those killed or died in the service – 30 without special designation on the Doughboy’s left and 14 listed as "Colored" on the right. A rear plaque mentions "This Doughboy Monument" and sculptor E. M. Viquesney, refers to "World War I, The War to End All Wars," describes a 1999 refurbishment performed by Karkadoulias Bronze Art of Cincinnati, Ohio, administered by the City of Bessemer and the State of Alabama Historical Park and Historical Site Maintenance Program, stating it was restored "So that future generations may remember the struggles and bloodshed that preceding generations endured to protect the peace and liberties we hold dear." The monument was rededicated November 11, 1999, but as the January 2011 photos at the Historical Marker Database show, the bayonet has been seriously bent downward for some time.
Both sides of the base have honor roll plaques naming those killed or died in the service – 30 without special designation on the Doughboy’s left and 14 listed as "Colored" on the right. A rear plaque mentions "This Doughboy Monument" and sculptor E. M. Viquesney, refers to "World War I, The War to End All Wars," describes a 1999 refurbishment performed by Karkadoulias Bronze Art of Cincinnati, Ohio, administered by the City of Bessemer and the State of Alabama Historical Park and Historical Site Maintenance Program, stating it was restored "So that future generations may remember the struggles and bloodshed that preceding generations endured to protect the peace and liberties we hold dear." The monument was rededicated November 11, 1999, but as the January 2011 photos at the Historical Marker Database show, the bayonet has been seriously bent downward for some time.
Links:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=ca36db96-e0c8-49c0-bdb5-2ba215e5dd9b
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=39928
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=ca36db96-e0c8-49c0-bdb5-2ba215e5dd9b
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=39928
