World War I Memorial -- Llano TX
N 30° 44.964 W 098° 40.569
14R E 530997 N 3401874
The Llano County WWI Memorial is listed on the SIRIS database
Waymark Code: WMQRQW
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/24/2016
Views: 3
A striking WWI memorial stands in a small traffic island on the southeast corner of the Llano County Courthouse Square features a doughboy going over the top in WWI and a list of those from this community who died in that awful war.
The Llano County WWI memorial consists of the "Over the Top" cast bronze statue by American sculptor John Paulding atop three large local Llano grey granite boulders that are cemented together, wich were shaped by local sculptor Frank Teich.
A plaque on the topmost boulder reads as follows:
"In Grateful Memory of the Men From Llano County Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice In the World War 1917-1918.
[list of names]
“If Ye Break Faith With Us, We Will Not Sleep.”
Erected by The Shakespeare Club, Llano Tex."
From the SIRIS database, more information on this statue as follows:
"Artist:
Teich, Frank, 1856-1939, sculptor.
Paulding, John, 1883-1935, sculptor.
American Bronze Company, founder.
Title:
World War I Monument, (sculpture).
Dates:
1918. Cast 1921. Dedicated Nov. 11, 1930.
Medium:
Sculpture: bronze; Base: Llano County granite, and cement.
Dimensions:
Sculpture: approx. 76 x 24 x 24 in.; Base: approx. H. 9 ft. 2 1/2 in. x W. 7 ft. 5 in.
Inscription:
(Copyright symbol) 1921 Mfg. by American Art Bronze Foundry - Chicago (Plaque on front of base of large round top boulder: seventeen names of World War I dead)/"If ye break faith with us, we will not sleep." unsigned Founder's mark appears.
Description:
A uniformed World War I doughboy in a charging position, facing southeast, his proper right hand raised and fist clenched. In his proper left hand he carries a rifle (bayonet missing). The soldier wears a helmet and has a small pack on his chest. Around his waist is an ammunition belt, a knife scabbard on his proper left hip. On his back is a bedroll, a canteen on his proper right hip. The sculpture is mounted upon a three-tiered base of rough-hewn granite boulders.
Subject:
History -- United States -- World War I
Figure male -- Full length
Occupation -- Military -- Soldier
Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform
Object Type:
Outdoor Sculpture -- Texas -- Llano
Sculpture Owner:
Administered by Veterans of Foreign Wars, VFW Post #8623, American Legion Hall, Box 234, Llano, Texas 78643
Owned by Llano County, Llano, Texas
Located Llano County Courthouse Square, Southwest corner, Llano, Texas
Remarks:
The monument commemorates World War I dead. Although the bronze sculpture of the doughboy does not appear to have a signature, the doughboy matches the John Paulding doughboy illustrated in ca. 1930s advertisements for the American Art Bronze Foundry. For additional information see: November 1930 issues of The Llano News; Wilburn Oatman, Jr.'s "Llano, Gem of the Hill Country," Hereford, TX: Pioneer Book Publishers, 1970, pg. 115. IAS files contain transcription of nearby plaque on Frank Teich."
TITLE: World War I Monument
ARTIST(S): Frank Teich (boulder base) & John Paulding (bronze statue)
DATE: 11/11/1930
MEDIUM: Bronze on granite boulders
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS TX000778
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
Main Street at Sandstone Street
Llano County Courthouse Square
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
this statue is on the SOUTHEAST corner of the courthouse, not the SOUTHWEST
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