{"nrhp_refnum":"85000268","name":"Soldier's Monument","other_names":[],"category":"object","location":{"address":"Chestnut and 2nd Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Byron","county":"Ogle County","state":"IL","lat":42.133356837000065,"lon":-89.26677682699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-02-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Civil War memorial monument of Rutland marble at the intersection of Chestnut and Second Streets in Byron, Ogle County, Illinois, erected in 1866 by the Byron Monument Association. The builder or architect is unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the oldest Civil War memorials in Illinois, dedicated in 1866, with age and symbolic value giving it historic significance. Its siting in the middle of a town intersection is unusual, since most Illinois monuments stand in cemeteries or on courthouse squares. Repeated local funding of repairs and public opposition to moving it in 1984 show its continuing importance to the community.","narrative":"A marble Civil War memorial marks the center of the crossing of Chestnut and Second Streets in Byron, Illinois. Byron citizens formed a monument association in September 1865, and the monument was bought by subscription for $1,400 and dedicated on October 18, 1866. It honors the township's volunteers, thirty of whom died, many serving with the 92nd Volunteers. Originally twelve feet tall with a marble eagle on top, it gained a second plinth in 1877 and now stands nineteen feet six inches high. Two cannon were added in 1897. Lightning damaged it in 1899, and a 1918 tornado broke the eagle, which was never replaced. A new base and cleaning came in 1965 for its centennial, funded by the Byron Woman's Club. Few Illinois monuments are older, and its location in the middle of an intersection is unusual. Public protest in 1984 halted plans to relocate it.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific date 1866)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by the City of Byron and publicly accessible. The eagle was broken in a 1918 tornado and never replaced. A new base was built and the monument cleaned in 1965.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.25692-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/11/8938/28893811/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/85000268.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000268/fe6cbfc887-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000268/fe6cbfc887-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soldiers_Monument_(8030102444).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soldiers_Monument_(8030102444).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893811","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldier%27s_Monument_(Byron,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7557248"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/ogle-county/soldiers-monument-85000268/"}