The Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is a major Civil War monument in Cleveland, Ohio, honoring the more than 9,000 individuals from Cuyahoga County who served the Union throughout the war. It was dedicated on July 4, 1894, and is located on the southeast quadrant of Public Square in Downtown Cleveland. It was designed by architect and Civil War veteran Levi Scofield, who also created the monument's sculptures. The monument is regularly open to the public, free of charge.
History and construction
Planning (1880–1890)
On October 22, 1879, a meeting of Civil War veterans took place in Cleveland, wherein an idea to build a monument was proposed. At this meeting, a resolution was unanimously approved, “to appoint a committee of three, whose duty it will be to formulate a plan for the erection of a suitable monument or memorial to commemorate the Union Soldiers and Sailors of Cuyahoga County.” Shortly thereafter, a convention of the soldiers and sailors of Cuyahoga County was held on October 30. The 1,200 veterans in attendance discussed the idea of creating a monument and chose a seven-man committee to lobby the Ohio General Assembly for funding.
On April 2, 1880, an act was passed through the Ohio State Legislature authorizing the Commissioners of Cuyahoga County to levy a county wide tax for the purpose of, “erecting a Monument or Memorial Tablet commemorative of the bravery and valor of all the Soldiers and Sailors from said county, who were killed in any of the battles fought in the service of the Republic of the United States, or who died from wounds or disease received or contracted in such service, and purchase a suitable site therefor.”
In 1886, at a meeting of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Union, an agreement was reached regarding the general design. Some favored a traditional obelisk or shaft, others preferred the idea of a tablet room. Levi T. Scofield, a local veteran and successful architect, was asked to draw up designs and plans for the future structure and proposed a unique combination of the two styles – a tablet room with an obelisk.
With the design well in progress, the next question was as to the location of the monument. The initial proposal was to round off the four corners of Cleveland's Public Square and to place a large statue right in the center of the square at the junction of Ontario Street and Superior Avenue. Before this plan could be implemented, the railroad companies developing the rapidly expanding street car system in the city laid claim to the intersection. Other locations throughout the city were considered for the future monument. Nevertheless, the Monument Committee remained stalwart in their desire to see the structure built on Public Square.
The Southeast quadrant at the terminus of Euclid Avenue was selected as the most ideal and appropriate site. Negotiations were then begun with the Park Commissioners of the City of Cleveland who maintained Public Square to secure the Southeast quadrant for the project. In April 1888, The General Assembly of the State of Ohio passed House Bill 462 to create a “Board of Commissioners, to be called the Monumental Commissioners of Cuyahoga County, to be composed of twelve persons, who shall be resident electors of said county, and members of the present Monumental Committee of the Cuyahoga County.”
The twelve members of this building commission were: William J. Gleason, President Levi F. Bauder, Secretary James Barnett Edward H. Bohm Charles Dewstoe J. J. Elwell Emory W. Force James Hayr Mortimer D. Leggett Joseph B. Molyneaux Levi T. Scofield R. W. Walters
Beginning of construction (1890–1894)
In early 1890, artists, models, and other artisans began the work of designing the proposed sculptural elements under the direction of Levi T. Scofield. Maquettes of all of the exterior statuaries as well as various architectural features were produced for review and approval by the Monument Commission. The maquettes of the exterior sculptures were exhibited at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago along with Scofield's sculpture entitled “These Are My Jewels” which now resides on the property of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. In 1975, the maquettes were donated by Douglas F. Schofield II, Levi Scofield's grandson to the citizens of Cuyahoga County, and they are currently on display in Courtroom 2 of the Cuyahoga County Courthouse.
As this work progressed, Elizabeth Scofield, the wife of Levi T. Scofield, was tasked with compiling the names of the veterans who would be honored in marble. Due to the fact that the State of Ohio did not complete its official roster of Civil War veterans until the mid-1890s, the names of those who served from the county had to be obtained manually. Using the incomplete records of the Adjutant General of the State of Ohio, Elizabeth Scofield compiled preliminary lists of eligible veterans. From 1889 to 1891, the Commission produced copies of these lists to be disseminated to Civil War veterans and Grand Army of the Republic posts for corrections and verification. With this process complete, work on producing the marble tablets for the memorial room, made from Amherst sandstone, was begun in the latter half of 1891.
The Monument Commission, wishing to break ground prior to March 1891, requested that the Cleveland Board of Park Commissioners remove the Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry statue, which sat on the site, pursuant to the act passed by the Ohio State Legislature granting them authority over the Southeast quadrant. These efforts were stonewalled by the city while various interests attempted to persuade the Monument Commissioners to relocate the structure elsewhere.
An injunction was filed by the Monument Commission against the City of Cleveland on April 15, 1891, in the Court of Common Pleas demanding relief from the Board of Park Commissioners's efforts to stymie construction. Judge Samuel E. Williamson joined in this suit on the side of the Park Commissioners alleging damages to the value of his nearby property which would result from the presence of the monument. His attorneys were Judge W. W. Boynton, Director and Attorney of the East Cleveland Street Railway Corporation, and Messrs. Estep, Dickey, Carr & Goff. The Court ruled against the Monument Commission. The Commissioners, who referred to this loss as their “Bull Run,” immediately filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Ohio.
Gleason et al. v. Cleveland was decided on June 21, 1892. Relying on the language of the original charter for Public Square from the Connecticut Land Company, it was deemed that the Monument Commission did not need permission from the city government to commence construction. This established the Monument Commission's control over the Southeast Quadrant. The circuit court judgment was reversed and the Monument Commission was given the authority to commence construction. Gleason wrote, “Our Gettysburg had been fought and won!” This cost the taxpayers $2,900 in legal fees.
The city again offered any of the other three quadrants of the square to the commission on the basis that obstructing Euclid Avenue may not be desirable considering the city's rapid growth and potential future traffic issues. Other alternative locations presented included Lake View Cemetery, Wade Park, and the corner of Erie and Summit Streets which is approximately the location of modern-day Willard Park. The commission maintained that the Southeast quadrant was the only suitable and appropriate location for the yet unbuilt monument, although they continued to consider other options.
A last-ditch legal action was taken by the city to stymie the construction of the monument in late September 1892. An injunction was requested by the city to the United States Circuit Court. In October, the judges in the case determined that the decision of the Ohio Supreme Court was binding and that the authority granted by the State Legislature to the Monument Commission was in keeping with the original land grant which stipulated that Public Square be preserved for “public use.” With this decision, the legal options to prevent the construction of the monument on the Southeast quadrant of Public Square had been fully exhausted.
On December 2, 1892, Scofield supervised the removal of the Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry Monument and turned it over to city officials whereupon it was relocated to Wade Park. While the city had estimated the moving cost at $300–$500 and pled a lack of funds, the Commission paid only $89.00 for its removal. Likewise, the city had projected the cost of relocating the water pipe at between $2,000–$5,000 and the time to complete the work at five weeks. In the spring of 1893, a new city administration headed by Robert Blee, who supported the construction of the monument, finished the job in four days for a cost of $1,248.68. The Commissioners boasted that it cost far less and happened far quicker than the city had been claiming. Work on the construction of the monument began in earnest in the Spring of 1893 and continued throughout the entire year. By the time the monument was completed, over $272,800 had been spent on its construction which equates to over $7,000,000 today, adjusted for inflation.
Dedication (1894) On July 4, 1894, the Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was dedicated on the Southeast quadrant of Public Square. The event was attended by a star-studded list of prominent persons and was begun with a one-hundred gun salute. Former Ohio governor Joseph Foraker spoke at the event. As did Civil War veteran, current Ohio governor, and future president William McKinley. Despite rain throughout the day, thousands of Army and Navy veterans, representatives from the Grand Army of the Republic, City and fraternal organizations, dignitaries, clergymen, school choirs, and bandsmen assembled for a patriotic extravaganza.
1896–1970 In the succeeding decades, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was host to numerous high-profile events. It was a focal point during the 1896 celebration of the centennial anniversary of the founding of Cleveland. A large temporary arch was constructed partially on the Southeast quadrant for the event.
In September 1901, 36 years after the conclusion of the Civil War, Cleveland hosted the 35th National Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic. This was the second time Cleveland hosted the National Encampment, the first being the 6th National Encampment which occurred between May 8 and 9, 1872. The 1901 event saw over 293,000 people travel to Cleveland. President William McKinley – who spoke at the dedication of the monument – was slated to speak at the event upon his return from the Pan-American Exposition occurring in Buffalo, New York. The lavish event was stymied when news of the president's assassination and subsequent death a few days later sent the nation into shock. The monument as well as much of downtown Cleveland was adorned with dark cloth and solemn expressions of mourning.