Cuyahoga County
Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument
Welcome to Cuyahoga County's Civil War Monument
The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument commemorates the American Civil War; it consists of a 125' column surrounded at its base by a Memorial Room and esplanade. The column, topped with a statue of the Goddess of Freedom, defended by the Shield of Liberty, signifies the essence of the Nation for which Cuyahoga County veterans were willing to and did give their lives. Four bronze groupings on the esplanade depict, in battle scenes, the Navy, Artillery, Infantry and Cavalry.
Inside the Memorial Room are four bronze relief sculptures: Women's Soldiers' and Sailors' Aid Society, Beginning of the War in Ohio, Emancipation of the Slaves and End of the War at City Point, Va., as well as busts of Gen. James Barnett and Architect/ Sculptor Levi T. Scofield, together with 6 officers, who were either killed in action, or died of disease or their wounds.
In 1862 and 63 Thomas Nast, an illustrator for Harper's Weekly merged the elfin imagery from his native Germany and the European mythology of Santa Clause to create what we know of today as the American version of Santa.
Patriotic Santa
This holiday season the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is presenting "Patriotic Santa" as a free public event. Join this historically accurate Civil War Santa pulled from the pages of Harper's Weekly.
Take a photo with Santa for free on your personal device from 11:00am to 6:00pm during Winterland, November 25.
Join Us and Experience Patriotic Santa
November 25, 2021 - 11:00am to 6:00pm
December 2, 2021 - 11:00am to 2:00pm
December 9, 2021 - 11:00am to 2:00pm
Podcast Special Edition
Featuring a Discussion with Frm. Acting Secretary of the Navy, Thomas B. Modly on his book Vectors.
In this special installment of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument Podcast Commission President Richard Prasse has a conversation with the Honorable Thomas B. Modly, former Acting Secretary of the Navy and author of Vectors: Heroes, Villains, & Heartbreak on the Bridge of the U.S. Navy.
Find Vectors: Heroes, Villains, and Heartbreak on the Bridge of the U.S. Navy at Amazon.com https://a.co/d/07qRMBx
Dedication of the Daniel R Fields Family Monument in Erie Street Cemetery
On June 16, 2023 the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument was honored to have the family of Daniel R Fields attend the dedication of a monument to the Fields Family buried in Erie Street Cemetery. Dan Fields was a Caretaker at the Monument who had served as the model for one of our most prominent statuary panels and worked on the Monument during the construction. He was, however, from Louisiana, a slave State until the end of the Civil War. Dan would have been between 12 and 16 years old when the war ended, based on different sources, which means there was a chance he himself had been enslaved. Dan's story is told daily in the Monument and serves to connect visitors to the Civil War.
Many thanks to our officiant Dr. Burris of First Baptist of Greater Cleveland, the congregation to which the Fields Family belonged.
Thank you to Milano Monuments for their efforts to repurpose stone remaning from the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument Court of Honor which was left over after the redesign of Public Square. Without their generosity this project would not have been possible.
Open Internship Opportunities
The Cuyahoga County Monument Commission is happy to announce two seasonal winter paid-internship opportunities.
Click Here for more information on author Lauren Pacini's book Honoring Their Memory: Levi Scofield, Cleveland's Monumental Architect and Sculptor
New Day Cleveland Downtown Road Trip
Thank you to Fox8's David Moss and New Day Cleveland for stopping by the Monument on their Downtown Road Trip. Watch the segment on YouTube where the Moss-man talks with Executive Director Greg Palumbo about our Cleveland treasure.