Eternal Peace Light Memorial Marker - Gettysburg, PA
N 39° 50.895 W 077° 14.598
18S E 308080 N 4413322
There are two beautiful, colorful signs of history located at the Eternal Flame Peace Memorial at Gettysburg, PA. This waymark focuses on the sign which tells the story of the development and dedication of this memorial.
Waymark Code: WMAC7E
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 12/23/2010
Views: 19
This sign of history is out front and to the right of the memorial, along the walkway. It is rectangular, oblong and rests on a metal mount. The monument and sign of history was erected by the Gettysburg National Military Park.
In the upper center is a photograph of the dedication captioned, Dedication of the Eternal Light Peace Memorial here on July 3, 1938. At President Roosevelt's signal, the flag shrouding the monument was lowered into the arms of a Union veteran and a Confederate veteran. It was the last great "hurrah" for the old soldiers.
Below it in the lower center is a photograph of President Roosevelt delivering the dedication. Here, on the eve of World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recalled Abraham Lincoln's desire for a nation united "with malice toward none, with charity toward all."
On the right is a photo of veterans reunited on the battlefield. At the 1938 reunion, veterans of the Blue and Gray extended warm greetings across a once bloodstained wall on Cemetery Ridge. Said one Confederate veteran to his former enemy, "Sir, we couldn't hold anything against each other. Now we belong to the same fellowship."
The text of the sign of history reads:
"Lincoln was Commander-in-Chief in this old battle; he wanted above all things to be Commander-in-Cheif of the new peace."
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Memorial Dedication, July 3, 1938
Veterans of the Union and Confederate armies from across the nation converged on Gettysburg in 1938 - 75 years after the battle - for their last great reunion. All Civil War veterans were invited with expenses paid, and nearly 2,000 attended. The majority were in their 90s, and many were over 100.
On the warm evening of Sunday, July 3, they gathered here with others to dedicate a monument to peace and national unity. President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered the dedication speech to a crowd estimated at 200,000.
The monument, designed by Paul Philipe Cret, is built of Alabama limestone and Maine granite, topped by a natural gas torch to be lit eternally to symbolize the unity of the United States.
Landmark Years
1909 Peace memorial first proposed by Pennsylvania commission planning Gettysburg 50th anniversary.
1935 New commission preparing for the 75th anniversary begins planning a peace memorial.
1936 Virginia becomes the first state to appropriate funds for the memorial.
1938 Memorial dedicated on the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
1988 Memorial re-dedicated on the 125th anniversary.