Soldiers Monument - Dover, MA - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

When traveling south into the center of Dover, Massachusetts, there is a monument at the apex of one of the town greens and at the intersection of Dedham and Centre Streets that is hard to miss as you pass by. This statue is a memorial to the soldiers from Dover who fought in any of the wars this country has been involved in.

The statue is a granite column topped by a bronze image of an eagle, with wings partially stretched out (not quite as as outstretched as shown on the tail of older U.S. Quarters) and its face looks to the left when facing it. At the base are square stone tiles surrounded by a garden of flowers. The whole sculpture stands about 20 ft tall.

The markings on the column show a mixture of Roman and Arabic representations of years either embossed in the column itself ("MCMX" [1910]), arranged vertically in bronze letters ("MDCCLXXV" [1775], "MDCCCLXI" [1861], "MDCLXXV" [1675], "MDCCLV" [1755], "MDCCCXII" [1812], and "MDCCCXCVIII" [1898]), or in a timeline (1917, 1941, 1950, 1964, 1991). At the front, the following text is on the column, "ERECTED BY THE TOWN OF DOVER IN HONOR OF HER SOLDIERS." "MCMX" is the date the memorial was raised, so it was before WWI and WWII, but well after the Civil War, which many such memorials were erected.

According to the inventory, the artist is not known. Also, according to the inventory is the fact that the green behind the statue was used as training grounds for militias from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War. There is a stone at the other end of the green that the monument is on that has the following engraved on it "Old Training Field, 1755." Thus, while it does support the idea that the field was used as training grounds, the date referenced is earlier than the Revolutionary War.

The monument is easy to see, though parking on either road is not advised. There are several lots nearby, such as the library, the VFW Post, and stores near the town hall.

The monument is in good condition. There are stains visible on the monument. Some seem to come from the bronze letters. The eagle has a tarnished appearance. But the stone is smooth and vertical.

TITLE: Soldier Monument ARTIST(S): Unknown, Sculptor DATE: 1/1/1909 MEDIUM: Granite and Bronze CONTROL NUMBER: IAS MA000433 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Intersection of Dedham and Centre Streets, at the apex of a town green that was used as training grounds for militia groups from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War. DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: None noted, except the sculpture has a year of MCMX [1910], while the date in the inventory is 1909. It is possible that these dates are referencing different events (such as created date vs. dedication date).

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