{"nrhp_refnum":"98000461","name":"Soldiers' Monument","other_names":["Civil War Monument"],"category":"object","location":{"address":"15 N. Galena Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Freeport","county":"Stephenson County","state":"IL","lat":42.29784995800003,"lon":-89.62192776399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-06-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A limestone shaft-type Civil War monument on the courthouse lawn at 15 North Galena Avenue in Freeport, Stephenson County, Illinois, erected and dedicated in 1871.","why_significant":"The monument is locally significant under Criterion A for military history as the physical result of the Stephenson County Soldiers' Monument Association's effort to commemorate the county's Civil War service. It also meets the commemorative property consideration because it became the focus of local remembrance traditions. Changes in 1924 and the loss of the Victory statue in 1960 were judged not to destroy its integrity.","narrative":"Rising 83 feet from the courthouse lawn in Freeport, Illinois, this limestone shaft honors the Civil War service of Stephenson County. Built of rough-cut Joliet limestone in three graduated sections, it was dedicated on July 4, 1871, before an estimated 20,000 people. Four figures representing the infantry, cavalry, artillery and navy sit at the corners of the base, and a 13-foot terra cotta and bronzed statue of Victory by sculptor Giovanni Meli once crowned the top. The original four figures were replaced in 1924, when bronze plaques naming all county veterans were also mounted over the worn marble panels. Lightning destroyed Victory in 1960. The monument was organized and funded by the Stephenson County Soldiers' Monument Association, led by John H. Addams, and it predates the 1870-1872 courthouse beside it. Veterans' parades and Memorial Day ceremonies have ended there for generations, which supports its local military and commemorative significance.","period_of_significance":"1871-1948","architect_builder":"Atkins, Gen. Smith D. (Designer); Upp, H. H. (Architect); Boedeker, A. (builder)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A"],"status_note":"The statue of Victory was destroyed by lightning in 1960 and removed; the monument otherwise remains in place and is the site of Memorial Day ceremonies.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.326456-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/78/8941/28894178/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/98000461.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000461/7bda33bb98-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000461/7bda33bb98-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"IvoShandor","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Freeport_Il_Soldier%27s_Monument8.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">IvoShandor</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Freeport_Il_Soldier%27s_Monument8.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894178","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldiers%27_Monument_(Freeport,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25206021"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/stephenson-county/soldiers-monument-98000461/"}