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 Uniontown Fireman's Memorial - Uniontown, Pennsylvania
N 39° 54.250 W 079° 43.629
17S E 608803 N 4417895
A memorial honoring Uniontown's two LODD's along with remembering those who served.
Waymark Code: WMMYZA
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 11/26/2014
Views: 3
Uniontown FIreman's Memorial - Uniontown, Pennsylvania
From the Tuesday, May 27, 2003 Tribune-Review
Considering the long and illustrious history of the city of Uniontown, it is remarkable that only two firefighters have died while in the line of duty. Even more remarkable is the fact that outside the brotherhood of firemen, few people recognize the names of Lewis Williams and Voight LaClair.
A local pastor and several area teens are trying to bring the two heroes, who passed away in the early 1900s, into the public eye.
Rev. Peter Malik, along with members of Teens for Christ and members of the Bible clubs at Uniontown and Laurel Highlands high schools, are raising money to have a statue erected in Uniontown honoring Williams and LaClair.
Williams, then chief of the Uniontown Fire Department, died in 1901 when he suffered a heart attack after battling three separate fires in the city.
LaClair was killed in 1914 when he fell through the roof of a burning building.
Malik wanted to do something to memorialize the fallen firemen ever since hearing as a young child tales of LaClair's bravery and sacrifice. While researching firefighters killed in the line of duty, he learned that Williams was the only other one.
Generations of Uniontown firefighters know the names of Williams and LaClair and the sacrifices they made, but the memory of the fallen firefighters has dimmed among the public over the years. "They're virtually unknown," Malik says.
The memorial is a 7-foot bronze statue of a firefighter kneeling in prayer on a granite base. There are plaques with LaClair's and Williams' names along with a passage from John 15:13, which reads "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
The memorial is located at the intersection of North Mount Vernon Avenue and Pittsburgh Street.
High school students from Teens for Christ and those in the high school Bible clubs have collected money and will put together a packet to take to businesses and organizations to raise the needed $75,000.
About four years later on October 29, 2006, The Uniontown community honored public safety officials Sunday with the dedication of the Uniontown Firemen's Memorial at Firemen's Corner and the kickoff of a campaign to have a national holiday set aside to honor all public safety representatives.
The combined efforts to erect the firemen's memorial by two Eagle Scout candidates, the Penn Highlands Teens for Christ and the Uniontown Area High School Bible Club began nearly four years ago. The memorial is in honor of all city firefighters.
Boy Scouts Clay Swenglish and Connor Shrum worked hard to get the memorial constructed. It was part of their Eagle Scout project.
"They were looking for someone to help with the base," Shrum said. The boys were quick to add that the work was completed with the help of the community, which donated materials and time to the project.
Swenglish said many hours of planning and executing were put into the memorial. He encouraged the public to visit the statue and think about what firefighters put on the line every day.
Taking a few days in October 2009, from sunrise and sunset, Eagle Scout Jerrad Byers completed a eagle scout service project in approximately 90 hours went into the project with donated or discounted items provided by different area businesses.
The reason for the rush to build the fire pit was because the Eagle Scot project must be completed by the Boy Scout before his 18th birthday.
Scoutmaster and Fire Chief Chuck Coldren added that Byers provided leadership with the project; that and the planning and development of the project is what caused him to recently earn the rank of Eagle Scout.
Anyone can use the pit for flag-retirement ceremonies only if he or she gets permission from the fire department 724-438-6900 or the Boy Scout troop.
Kevin Richardson submitted this photo of his Eagle Scout project (Troop 620). It is a healing garden constructed in memory of his grandfather Paul Richardson (also known as Scooter). Scooter was a firefighter with the Uniontown Fire Dept. who dedicated 49 years of service to the city of Uniontown and it's residents. Scooter was well known and loved by many.
And the man behind it all... Troop 620 Scoutmaster and Uniontown Bureau of Fire Chief Chuck Coldren... There is a bench tucked into the corner of the memorial.
Memorial Website: [Web Link]
Physical address:
Pittsburgh Street & North Mount Vernon Avenue
Uniontown, PA USA
15401
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