A new online database has cataloged more than 300 historic World War I monuments and memorials in Illinois, from doughboy statues to public spaces honoring people who served in the Great War.
The database is the product of a years-long effort by Landmarks Illinois, a historic preservation group.
The database includes several local memorials including the bronze Doughboy on a granite base in Fairview Park in Centralia. The granite and limestone statue in the Peaceful Valley Cemetery in Odin is also included. In Flora, a metal statue mounted on the corner of the American Legion Building along with a small howitzer is on the list. In Fairfield, a limestone and metal arch with a plaque honoring World War One soldiers leading into one of the entrances to the courthouse square in Fairfield is listed. A stone monument made of Granite honoring World War 1 veterans is part of a contemporary memorial honoring veterans of other wars as well in St. Elmo.
Along with the survey, the group provided grants to communities that wanted to preserve or recover their WWI monuments. The database documents 311 memorials in 158 Illinois communities.
Base of World War 1 statue in Fairview Park in Centralia. Photo by Pat Hodges.
Plaque from Clinton County War Mothers at WW 1 monument in Fairview Park. Photo by Pat Hodges.
