World War II Urn - Malvern, PA
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Math Teacher
N 40° 01.774 W 075° 31.155
18T E 455695 N 4431167
Perhaps the most simplest of monuments is this urn which contributes to this historic site and was placed just after the end of World War II.
Waymark Code: WMHEHV
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 07/01/2013
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member ištván
Views: 5

Beautiful and meaningful monuments line the southern part of the Paoli Parade Grounds which is west of the Paoli Battlefield. Here you will find two Revolutionary War monuments (one being the oldest in Pennsylvania), monuments to both World Wars, a general memorial and this old urn.

The urn is diagonally across from the World War I monument which is across the looped road. The urn is form 1946. It is made of stone, carved in the shape of an urn and is specifically located between the a non-sepcific monument and the other World War II monument. The urn measures 2'10" high and 1'4" in diameter. It is supported by a small stone base and contains a simple inscription: World War II.


This site is the battleground where the Paoli Battle of the Revolutionary War took place. On September 21, 1777, a significant battle was fought by a heroic Continental force right here in Malvern. Just after the serious defeat at Brandywine, Gen. Anthony Wayne camped here and prepared to attack the rear of British forces under Gen. Howe. During the night the British forces attacked with muskets unloaded and bayonets fixed. Revealing their own position by firing their muskets, Wayne’s men were easy targets. SOURCE

Daybreak revealed a grim reality. At least fifty-three Americans were dead and scores were wounded. The graves of those fifty-three men are located to the east of the flag pole in the Paoli Memorial Park, the site of today’s Memorial Parade Activities. The actual graves are under the original monument. There is a long mound under the memorial.

There is an organization which runs the battlefield site. I took the following excerpt from their site: "The Paoli Memorial Association is a privately held non-profit organization that is separate from either PBPF or the Borough of Malvern. Its 20+ acres includes a Parade Ground with many commemorative monuments as well as the mass grave of 53 Continental soldiers killed in the Battle of Paoli and site of an 1817 obelisk, recognized as the second oldest memorial to American soldiers in the United States. Part of the Paoli Battlefield National Historic Place, portions are used for other community purposes, including athletic fields, playgrounds and a log cabin for Boy Scout activities.". SOURCE

There are many components to this site. It is similar to a historic district, only more compact with one singular purpose. All totaled, there are two contributing buildings, two contributing sites, and five contributing objects included on the listing. They are the Paoli Battlefield Site, Paoli Parade Grounds, Paoli Massacre Monument (1817), Paoli Massacre obelisk (1877), World War I monument (1928), World War II urn (c. 1946), and caretaker's house and garage (1922).

To make it clear there are two distinct parts. The Parade Grounds are what one would see when they first enter and come around the curved or horseshoe driveway. This is where the monuments are located and a tract of ground in the center. There are also a ball field, tennis courts and a playground to the right, also part of the old parade grounds. Past the 1817 monument to the left or east of the parade grounds are 40 acres of grass, dotted with interpretives that constitute the battleground.

One is never at a loss to understand what happened here or figure their relative position to the sites as eight, attractive and well-constructed interpretives dot the Iandscape as well as several minor other signs of history. I think one of the attractions here, besides the endless tracts of grass which constitute the once battlefield, is the 1817 monument. This war memorial is so old it was vandalized by Civil War soldiers who bivouacked here in the 1860s. This is the second oldest Revolutionary War monument in America. So precious and old is this monument it is encased in protective plexiglass and locked inside a stone wall enclosure protected by a locked gate (which anyone can hop over to get close-ups of the obelisk). It still stands sentinel over the burial mound.

Date of Dedication: 01/01/1946

Property Permission: Public

Access instructions: Drive up and park on the loop

Website for Waymark: [Web Link]

Location of waymark:
Paoli Parade Grounds
Monument Drive
Malvern, PA USA
19355


Commemoration: Americans who fought in World War II

Access times: Not listed

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