William Luther Sibert Major General U.S. Army (Ret.)
1860-1935
This is the site of the family home of Gadsden native General William Luther Sibert who played a major role in the construction of the Panama Canal. While serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, he was appointed chief engineer for the Atlantic Division of the Panama Canal. He designed and built the Atlantic locks, and constructed Gatun Dam, then the largest earthen dam in the world, to create Gatun Lake, the central operating feature of the Canal.
During World War I General Sibert served as commander of the 1st Division of the U.S. Army. Later he became the first chief of the Chemical Warfare Service.
In 1919 the French government named him Commander in the Legion of Honor. The U.S. awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal.
Following his retirement from the army in 1920, General Sibert returned to Alabama where he designed, constructed, and administered the Alabama State Docks at Mobile. He died in 1935. In 1942 a new military installation in Etowah County was named Camp Sibert to honor his memory.
General Sibert is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Marker is on Forrest Avenue east of North 10 Street, on the right when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
