Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, Mass.

Title

Hiker Monument and Rockery, circa 1926

Description

"The Hiker Monument and Rockery, a memorial to the men who fought in the Spanish-American War, was dedicated at the rockery on Columbus Day, October 12, 1926. The monument was erected after a Town Meeting vote in the spring of 1926 to appropriate $5,000 to honor the veterans. Theodore [i.e. Theo Alice Ruggles] Kitson's Hiker was typical of the 'infantry men.' of 1898. The Town celebration included a parade and the dedication, rifle contests at Camp Curtis Guild, a reunion of Spanish-American War Veterans of Company A and the 'Old Sixth Regiment,' a banquet celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Richardson Light Guard, and an evening parade on the Common, featuring battalions of infantry for the review of the Spanish War veterans. The event was said to be the biggest celebration since the Town's 250th anniversary festivities in 1894. The parade stepped off at 2 p.m. from the Armory, traveling a route that took the marchers along Main Street to Chestnut Street, North Avenue, Avon Street, Main Street, Park Street, Pleasant Street, White Avenue, to Lakeside to the monument via Main Street. Over 2,000 people attended the dedication. The evening parade on the common featured the 182nd Infantry, Company E of Wakefield, Company F of Waltham, Company G of Woburn, and Company M of Everett. The anniversary banquet at the Armory was attended by 400 guests and was the largest gathering since the dedication of the Armory in 1913." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.

Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 2006

Contributor

Institution: Lucius Beebe Memorial Library

Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (Wakefield, Mass.)

D'Onofrio, Jayne M.

Coverage

Massachusetts--Middlesex (county)--Wakefield

Date

ca. 1926

Format

image/jpeg

Publisher

[Wakefield, Mass.] : Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department

Subject

Rockery (Wakefield, Mass.)

Spanish-American War, 1898

Monuments

War memorials

The Hiker

Kitson, Theo Alice Ruggles, 1876-1932

Type

still image

Photographs

Original Format

1 picture : b&w

Extent

23 x 32 cm.