World War I Memorial, February 1, 1926

Object Description

This 4 inch by 6 inch black and white photograph has a typewritten label on the back erroneously identifies the images as "Confederate Monument, Thirteenth and Market Street, Wilmington, NC., February 1st, 1926, taken by Capt. ED. Williams."

Object history

This photograph was given to the Museum in 1985, by the Reverend John S Armfield (1915 to 2002). Reverend Armfield told the Museum he received the image from a relative. The photographer was steamboat captain and harbormaster Edgar D. Williams (1849 to 1928).

General History

On Memorial Day, May 30, 1922, a World War I monument was unveiled in front of New Hanover High School, at Market and South Thirteenth Streets. The monument was made in Baltimore, Maryland. Joseph Maxwell Miller sculpted the bronze bas relief tablet.

Although initially the organizers planned to raise $25,000 to pay for the memorial, by the time it was erected, the Wilmington Dispatch declared "The monument is the gift of the entire populace of the city and will cost when unveiled only $6,000. No efforts to secure large contributions were made, the desire being that all people should participate in its erection."

The memorial was placed near New Hanover High School (at the time the only public high school for white children in the county). This location seems to have been chosen with its proximity to the school in mind. When it was dedicated, the chair of the memorial committee, ET. Taylor reportedly said "May 30th has been set aside by the American Legion as a day sacred to the memory of their deceased brothers in arms, who lost their lives in our behalf in the world war. It is fitting therefore, that on this day we gather to pay our respects to the memory of the dead and to inspire by our example veneration for these heroes in the lives of the children today and of future generations."

By the time this picture was taken less than four years later, the memorial had had to undergo a significant repair. In January 1923, the monument was "hurled from its base" when it was hit by a car belonging to Colonel Walker Taylor. The damage was very substantial - it took months to repair because, according to the Wilmington Morning Star of April 1923, the "main upright stone, which was broken almost in half by the impact of the skidding automobile, has been replaced with a new one. Little damage was done any other part of the monument."