Soldier's Monument (Davenport, Iowa)
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Soldier's Monument
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| Location | 1100 Main St. Davenport, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | 41°31′53″N 90°34′32.5″W / 41.53139°N 90.575694°WCoordinates: 41°31′53″N 90°34′32.5″W / 41.53139°N 90.575694°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1880-1881 |
| Architect | R.J. Carver |
| Part of | College Square Historic District (#83003628) |
| MPS | Davenport MRA |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 18, 1983 |
| Designated DRHP | June 2, 1993 |
The Soldier's Monument is a historic structure in the College Square Historic District in Davenport, Iowa, United States. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The monument, which was built from 1880 to 1881, was individually listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1993.
A movement to erect a monument began in 1865 when an association was created to establish a monument to President Abraham Lincoln after his assassination. The Lincoln Monument Association of Scott County, Iowa was incorporated on May 25, 1865. After six years the association collected $529.25, with the accumulated interest of $148.50, the total amount they had for the monument amounted to $707.40. Nicholas Fejervary offered to donate $1,300 if the monument would be erected to Scott County’s Civil War dead instead. After accepting the offer, donations to the monument fund increased.
The association hired R.J. Carver of South Rydate, Vermont to design the monument. The monument association approved the design on June 5, 1880. A site was chosen in the middle of Main Street between Grace Cathedral, now Trinity Cathedral, and Griswold College, now the campus of Davenport Central High School. The monument was built for $8,000. It was constructed 1880-1881 and dedicated on July 4, 1881. The monument was given to the city of Davenport on January 15, 1906. At one time patriotic exercises were held at the monument each Memorial Day by the local Grand Army of the Republic post, the Loyal Legion, the Sons of Veterans, the Woman's Relief Corps and other patriotic organizations.
The monument is an obelisk of English Granite that rises 50 feet (15 m). It is topped by a statue of a Union soldier, which faces south towards the Mississippi River in the valley below. He measures 8 feet (2.4 m) tall. The base for the monument is 17.5 feet (5.3 m) square, with buttress extensions at the corners. The monument's foundation is at least 7 feet (2.1 m) in the ground and is composed of Nauvoo stone and it rests on a cement floor.
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