June 16, 2004
Old soldier seeks new lease on life
Group aims to raise $80,000 to refurbish Civil War monument
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
This 114-year-old soldier needs help.
Standing 18-feet tall in front of the Grand Traverse County Courthouse, the soldier from the Grand Army of the Republic is cracked and warping. Dedicated in 1890 on what was then known as Decoration Day, the Grand Traverse Area Civil War Monument honors the 171 residents who served in the Civil War. Thirty of these volunteers died during the war.
Determined to preserve this slice of American history, a group of citizens kicked off an $80,000 fundraising campaign on Memorial Day. A permanent endowment to care for the statue, which is owned by Grand Traverse County, will be started with $15,000 of that money.
With just under $3,400 raised to date, the Monument Restoration Project volunteers have their work cut out for them. Members of the Monument Restoration Project have an ambitious timetable: unveil and rededicate the restored statue in a ceremony on Memorial Day 2005.
"There are a group of us working together, which is a tremendous help," said Neal Breaugh, commander of the Robert Finch Camp No. 14 of the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War. "This kind of Civil War preservation goes on all over the country."
Breaugh and other volunteers are currently contacting area veterans groups, service organizations and clubs for help as well as writing grants. In the fall, they plan to speak at area schools and promote the project.
So far, the interest shown by individuals and groups already contacted illustrate that the Civil War is still relevant.
"Everyone's interested," said Jim Slis of Lake Ann, a volunteer on the project and a member of the Robert Finch Camp No. 14. "Eventually if it is not restored, it would deteriorate."
The statue's history touches the foundations of Traverse City's past. Many of the young men who served were among the first white settlers in the area. They walked to Grand Rapids or Chicago to sign up, often joining brigades from Illinois or Indiana because Michigan had met its recruiting quota. Two or three Native American sharpshooters from the Peshawbestown area also joined the war effort.
"The participation of the 171 people was huge for the population here at that time," Breaugh noted.
The base of the statue lists the twelve major battles that local men participated in, including Antietam, Cedar Mountain, Gettysburg and Williamsburg. A Civil War cannon nearby completes the memorial and this display also needs restoration work.
Perry Hannah, a co-founder of Traverse City, dedicated the statue during in 1890, noting that the monument, "_will serve to tell your children's children what the preservation of this union has cost their forefathers."
Some of these children a few generations removed banded together during the last weeks of school to help save the soldier. Second grade students at Central Grade School donated $61.41 to the cause last week, having learned of the project during a visit to the courthouse late last month. The students raised the money themselves, said Sharon Jennings, a second grade teacher at the school.
"They really got behind this project and I'm proud of them, the kids loved it," said Jennings, noting the visit to the government center and courthouse as well as the fundraising for the statue tied into the second grade's theme of community.
"Neal came to talk to us in his uniform and told us about the organization he belongs to," she noted. "The whole process was a good learning experience for them."
For more information on the Civil War Monument Restoration Project, contact Breaugh at 947-5873 or at nbreaugh@gtii.com.The project also has a website at www.CivilWarMonument.com.