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Denmark Civil War Monument
Denmark’s Civil War Soldier: A Village Memorial and Its Makers
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Denmark's Civil War monument stands where Routes 117 and 160 meet, giving a village junction a commemorative focus. The Maine Historic Preservation Commission identifies the figure as Westerly granite, made by John Horrigan of Quincy, Massachusetts, and dedicated on June 26, 1913. Plan a brief exterior observation from a safe, lawful pedestrian position. This is a road junction rather than a plaza with an assumed circuit around the sculpture. Establish where you can stand before choosing an angle, and let traffic conditions determine whether a closer view is practical.
The monument links an individual soldier with a collective statement. Its inscription names the war years and emphasizes patriotism, valor, and the town's gratitude for its sons' service. Those are commemorative choices made after the conflict, not a complete account of what every resident experienced. Look at how the figure and pedestal work together: the soldier provides a human presence while the words identify the community doing the remembering. You can appreciate the composition without treating a brief inscription as a substitute for the histories of particular people.
A dedication account by Jennie Bennett Colby, preserved in the historical society's autumn 1994 newsletter, explains how the project gained support. Brackett, a former resident and veteran, returned to the voters in March 1912 with a proposal and a willingness to contribute. The town voted an appropriation, and subscriptions and gifts from former residents supplemented it. Colby's account describes Brackett providing more than half the total cost. The monument was therefore an outcome of public agreement and private giving, with people living elsewhere still participating in their old town's memory.
Read that dedication narrative as a voice from its own period. Colby turns repeatedly from the soldiers toward the wives and mothers who remained at home. That emphasis broadens the story beyond the uniformed figure, while retaining the language and assumptions of a ceremonial address. It is useful to distinguish what the text celebrates from what a researcher might still want to ask: whose individual experiences survive, which household records can add detail, and how did remembrance change between wartime and the dedication? A monument can begin those questions without answering all of them.
The society's January 1994 newsletter documents another kind of attention. A photograph and description of the monument had been submitted to the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture inventory project. That short notice belongs to the work of identifying and recording public art, rather than to the original fundraising campaign. An object can acquire a second documentary life when later residents describe its location and condition. Today's visitor contributes a personal observation to a much longer sequence, while conservation decisions remain work for the responsible authorities.
A 2024 photographed record by Conrad Ward documents the monument's continuing presence at the intersection, including views of its front and back. Use such records to orient your interest, not as permission to stop in a lane or cross where visibility is poor. A wider photograph can show why a memorial matters to the village setting; a closer permitted composition can study the contrast between the soldier and supporting stone. Leave the granite untouched. The encounter is most rewarding when the figure leads toward the documented decisions, donations, ceremonial words, and later recording that kept the town's remembrance visible.
Fun facts
- John Horrigan made the Westerly-granite soldier.
- The monument was dedicated on June 26, 1913.
- A 1994 newsletter records its submission to the Save Outdoor Sculpture inventory.
Before you go
- Choose a lawful pedestrian viewing position before approaching the junction.
- Treat the dedication address as a historical voice rather than a complete community history.
- Leave the granite untouched and avoid stopping in traffic for photographs.
Capture
- From safe permitted space, relate the figure to the village junction.
- If a close view is practical, compare the figure’s form with the pedestal without reproducing inscriptions.
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Denmark’s granite soldier gives a village junction a commemorative focus.
The monument was dedicated in 1913.
Its maker was John Horrigan of Quincy, Massachusetts.
Town funding and gifts from former residents supported the project.
A dedication account also remembers the families who remained at home.
Later residents documented the sculpture for an outdoor-art inventory.
The road setting calls for a carefully chosen viewing position.
A brief encounter can open a longer inquiry into how a town remembers.
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