Photo provided by Gladys Hoskins, Executive Secretary, Harlan County Chamber of Commerce.
HARLAN, KENTUCKY
N 36° 50.818 / W 083° 19.279
Copyright version 1920, sheet bronze.
Smithsonian Art Inventory Control Number: 47260043.
Copyright version 1920, sheet bronze.
Smithsonian Art Inventory Control Number: 47260043.
In front of Harlan County Courthouse, South 1st and East Central.
The plaque on the front of the base reads:
DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF
THE VALIANT SONS OF
HARLAN COUNTY
WORLD WAR 1917-1918
(followed by 30 names in two columns)
ERECTED BY
HARLAN POST NO. 54 AMERICAN LEGION
HARLAN KENTUCKY
1930
(Plaque data supplied by Jeff Phillips, Director of Public Relations, Harlan County Schools.)
DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF
THE VALIANT SONS OF
HARLAN COUNTY
WORLD WAR 1917-1918
(followed by 30 names in two columns)
ERECTED BY
HARLAN POST NO. 54 AMERICAN LEGION
HARLAN KENTUCKY
1930
(Plaque data supplied by Jeff Phillips, Director of Public Relations, Harlan County Schools.)
The above photograph was taken shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The American flag that is shown along the right arm was attached to the sculpture in some manner, apparently in an act of patriotism, such as those that were widespread during the period after that attack. That could also explain the presence of the large and colorful wreath. In May of 2006, the plaque was temporarily removed for cleaning.
The paragraphs below are excerpted from the Harlan Daily Enterprise, July 4, 2012.
The Harlan doughboy was unveiled on Armistice Day, November 11, 1930, to honor the 30 Harlan County men who gave their lives in World War I and whose names are cast in bronze at the base of the statue. A parade opened the ceremonies. Mayor L.O. Smith, in uniform, led the parade with the Benham High School Band immediately following. National Guard, Legionnaires, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and school children also participated. After the parade ended in front of the courthouse, the National Guard fired salutes with rifles, while machine guns rattled salutes from the top of the courthouse.
Dr. J.W.Nolan, wrote and delivered the dedicatory speech. He was a veteran of the Spanish-American War, a medical missionary in Korea, and a captain in the Medical Corps during World War I. Dr. Nolan was not only a well-known physician, but was in great demand for his skills as an orator. His speech praised those who fell in service of their country and closed with these words: “I present this memorial to Harlan County and may the silent dust of these sceptered sovereigns rule our spirits from their urns, and bequeath to the oncoming generations a love that makes memory eternal.”
Also on the program, “Sweetheart of the Legion” Miss Leland Myers helped unveil the statue, Mrs. J.R. Weiler gave a reading of the famous poem “In Flanders Field”, and local attorney Daniel Boone Smith spoke to the Gold Star Mothers.
Dr. J.W.Nolan, wrote and delivered the dedicatory speech. He was a veteran of the Spanish-American War, a medical missionary in Korea, and a captain in the Medical Corps during World War I. Dr. Nolan was not only a well-known physician, but was in great demand for his skills as an orator. His speech praised those who fell in service of their country and closed with these words: “I present this memorial to Harlan County and may the silent dust of these sceptered sovereigns rule our spirits from their urns, and bequeath to the oncoming generations a love that makes memory eternal.”
Also on the program, “Sweetheart of the Legion” Miss Leland Myers helped unveil the statue, Mrs. J.R. Weiler gave a reading of the famous poem “In Flanders Field”, and local attorney Daniel Boone Smith spoke to the Gold Star Mothers.
