 Photo: Les Kopel, Oxnard, California. All other photos: Clifford Beauvais. |
The statue in an old postcard view.
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WINCHENDON, MASSACHUSETTS
N 42° 41.051 / W 072° 03.358
Copyright version 1934, cast zinc.
Smithsonian Art Inventory Control Number: MA001023.
Copyright version 1934, cast zinc.
Smithsonian Art Inventory Control Number: MA001023.
In Veterans of Foreign Wars Park (a.k.a. Hyde Park triangle) at School, West, and Park Streets.
The inscription on the front of the base reads:
WINCHENDON POST NO. 2158
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS
OF THE UNITED STATES,
IT'S [sic] AUXILIARY & SONS OF THE V. F. W.
DEDICATE THIS MONUMENT
IN MEMORY OF ALL THOSE WHO FOUGHT
IN ALL WARS OF THE UNITED STATES
THAT THIS COUNTRY
MIGHT FOREVER ENJOY FREEDOM.
WINCHENDON POST NO. 2158
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS
OF THE UNITED STATES,
IT'S [sic] AUXILIARY & SONS OF THE V. F. W.
DEDICATE THIS MONUMENT
IN MEMORY OF ALL THOSE WHO FOUGHT
IN ALL WARS OF THE UNITED STATES
THAT THIS COUNTRY
MIGHT FOREVER ENJOY FREEDOM.
The Doughboy, dedicated September 15, 1940, was acquired by the VFW Post, using funds raised by conducting various events.
Several monuments in this and other nearby parks honor those who served in various wars. One contains an honor roll naming those who served in the World War. It contains names of 233 men (15 marked with stars) and 3 Army Nurses.
The Doughboy suffered a lot of deterioration from exposure and vandalism. As a result, the left hand and rifle were missing and there was extensive staining and discoloration on the sculpture as well as on the monument base by the late 1990s.
A resolution concerning a proposed rededication of the Doughboy was adopted by the Massachusettes State Senate on May 21, 1998, and Jeffrey Bronness of Royalston Arts Foundry, Royalston, Massachusetts, performed a major restoration that year, using funds raised from the public.
Both the Doughboy and the monument base are now in excellent condition. The small square of bricks in front of the monument may mark the location of the time capsule that was placed in the spring of 1998. It contains, among other things, a list of donors who contributed to the restoration project.
Several monuments in this and other nearby parks honor those who served in various wars. One contains an honor roll naming those who served in the World War. It contains names of 233 men (15 marked with stars) and 3 Army Nurses.
The Doughboy suffered a lot of deterioration from exposure and vandalism. As a result, the left hand and rifle were missing and there was extensive staining and discoloration on the sculpture as well as on the monument base by the late 1990s.
A resolution concerning a proposed rededication of the Doughboy was adopted by the Massachusettes State Senate on May 21, 1998, and Jeffrey Bronness of Royalston Arts Foundry, Royalston, Massachusetts, performed a major restoration that year, using funds raised from the public.
Both the Doughboy and the monument base are now in excellent condition. The small square of bricks in front of the monument may mark the location of the time capsule that was placed in the spring of 1998. It contains, among other things, a list of donors who contributed to the restoration project.
 Detail of some of the damage prior to the 1998 restoration. __________Right: Jeffrey Broness of Royalston Arts Foundry beginning his work on the restoration of the Winchester Doughboy.
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