The Soldiers' Monument
The Soldiers' Monument in the Marion Cemetery, a memorial to "our heroes there and our heroes here" stands facing the rising sun. Its commanding position at the east entrance adds much to the natural beauty of our cemetery.
We have always known that it was to Miss Love Seymour's generosity that much of the beauty of the cemetery is due. The monument on her grandparent's lot, the chapel, and the Soldiers' Monument were all her gifts.
At the time of its erection on 1904, this monument was the highest in Wayne County. It is 35 feet high, including the soldier at parade rest. The bottom base weighs 20 tons, the soldier, 1 ton. The total weight of the monument is 65 tons! It is made up of 13 pieces.
"Not an imperfection is found in either workmanship or material", was written in 1904. The same can be said today. It was erected by Worden, Crawford Company of Batavia, NY. This monument has a twin in Dansville, NY according to that town's historian, erected by Worden Monument Company. The two Worden's were brothers.
In 1904, Marion had no railroad, no macadam or concrete roads. Everything had to be brought in by horse-drawn vehicles. Many men made a business of doing such work. James Malcolm, our local canner of that time, to give his men work during the slack season, took the contract to haul the 65 ton cargo from a New York Central siding in Palmyra to Marion for $250 and lost money on the deal! It cost him $500 and a broken arm!
With a huge dray wagon rented from Rochester and many teams of horses, he started out for Marion with only one piece of granite - the 20 ton base of the monument. After a few miles the horses "petered out." Two engines were secured. On a stretch of plank road in front of the Goldsmith place one steam engine broke the logs and fell through, becoming mired in the mud below. The narrow rims of the wagon wheels added to their troubles. Finally, after several days, with the help of engines and horses, the base reached the east entrance of the cemetery. At that time this entrance was just a lane through the muck.
The wagon with its heavy load had to be "planked" to hard ground. The remaining 12 pieces were brought in several trips and caused no difficulty. A derrick was used to put the sections in place. You may well believe that every small boy and many a man were there to watch this wonder.
On July 16, 1904 a great celebration was held in Marion, "the unveiling" at the institute building the W.R.C. (Women's Relief Corps) committee served over 500 with dinner and supper. At two o'clock the ceremony of "unveiling" began in the Insitute Grove. About 2500 people listened to the address by the Hon. Archie E. Baxter of Elmira.
Veterans from Newark, Clifton Springs, Macedon, Ontario, Williamson, and Walworth were present. These veterans, headed by the band from Newark and the drum corps from Clifton Springs, paraded the streets of the village which were decorated with 1500 flags and 700 yards of bunting. Then they were joined by the W.R.C. citizens and proceeded down Buffalo Street to the cemetery. There they formed around the Soldiers' Monument where dedication and "unveiling" services were conducted by Commander Geer of the John Burrud Post. Mrs. E.T. Luce of the W.R.C. "released the flag that draped the figure and as it fell the band played, My Country 'Tis of Thee.
On this monument, a memorial in particular to the G.A.R. veterans of the Civil War, are the words of Grant, "Let us have peace", of Lincoln, "With malice toward none, with charity for all", "From Sumpter to Appomatox" and "Fraternity", "Charity", "Loyality". These last words from the motto of the Grand Army of the Republic.
(excerpt from an article by Mrs. Thomas Emmelkamp, a former historian)
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