Unknown Soldiers Monument - Valley Forge National Historical Park Historic District - Valley Forge, PA - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

This monument is part of an intermittent string of monuments along Outer Line Road, west of Wayne's Woods. The map calls this South Outer Line Drive (I've heard it both ways). The monument is past the loops which brings the road from west to north. The monument is 314 feet north of the Scott's Brigade Monument (418) if traveling north. Both monument are on the right or east side of the road. I am guessing the monument was placed here as the woods (Wayne's Woods??) to the east, directly in back of this monument, on the edge, contain a few graves of unknown soldiers. I waymarked them into several categories. The graves can be found here: N 40° 05.329 W 075° 26.707 . There is also a virtual cache called Forgotten Monument? for those markers as well. Parking is available east back at the Wayne Equestrian monument, located at N 40° 5.218 W 75° 26.666. It is about a ten minute walk. I actually parked on the side of the road. I visited this monument on March 19, 2011 @ 3:01 PM, EDT, & @ an altitude of 205 feet ASL.

"In 1901, the National Society of the Daughters of the Revolution of 1776 raised a shaft near the lonely headstone which had by then been identified with John Waterman. Still popularly called the Waterman Monument, this was really dedicated to all the soldiers "who sleep in Valley Forge." The Valley Forge chapter of the DAR erected a second monument to the dead in 1911 below the hill surmounted by Wayne's Woods." SOURCE

There are dozens of these stone/bronze markers on the encampment tour as part of the Valley Forge National Historical Park. This one, like the others, consists of a huge stone marker, about eight feet tall, roughly hewn everywhere save the 1911 inscribed bronze tablet, centered in the front face. The stone is about five and a half feet wide, just short of the height and is about three feet deep. There is a three by four foot bronze tablet attached to the center of the stone monument. The monument was erected in 1911 by the Valley Forge Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. The bronze marker reads:

IN MEMORY OF
UNKNOWN SOLDIERS
BURIED AT VALLEY FORGE
1777 1778

ERECTED BY
VALLEY FORGE CHAPTER
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

The Unknown Soldiers Monument meets criterion A for its association with American Revolution and Criterion B for its association with George Washington and the impact of the encampment on his military career. PA SHPO concurrence 9/16/2004 to 2000 CLI that resource contributes to the national significance of Valley Forge NHP. The monument is inventoried as structure no. 420.

From the Nomination Form:
Erected in 1911 to honor the unknown soldiers buried at Valley Forge. Erected by the Valley Forge Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Listed as contributing in CLI, with SHPO concurrence on 09/16/2004.

Short Physical Description:
5'6"x3'x approximately 8' high. Gray granite monolith, rough hewn except for its face which has a 3'6"x2'3" inscribed bronze plaque on a dressed area which is only slightly larger. Located on the East side of the Outer Line Drive, W of Wayne's Woods.

Long Physical Description:
N/A