Civil War Soldiers' Monument
Originally erected in 1870 between Mt. Ephraim and Goodall Streets, this monument displays the names of 18 fallen Searsport men. It was dismantled in 1896 and moved to the current location in front of the new Masonic and Odd Fellows building, where a hall had been reserved for veterans of the Grand Old Republic. When reassembled the two marble tablets, inscribed with the names of 18 Searsport soldiers who died in the war, were turned inward. Local legend claimed that one of the tablets had been engraved with the name of a living man who had paid a volunteer to enlist in his place. The enlistee was killed but the name engraved was the surviving individual. Subsequent research in 1982 by Charlene Knox Farris revealed legend to be fact. On July 4, 1990, with the help of Masonic Secretary Stanley Schofield, the tablets were again reversed at a town re-dedication ceremony. The photos show the original and relocated sites and a reserved seat ticket for the unveiling of the 1870 monument.
Marker is at the intersection of East Main Street (U.S. 1) and Elm Street, on the right when traveling east on East Main Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
