Soldiers and Sailors Monument (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
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Soldiers and Sailors Monument
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The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, looking north up Queen St.
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| Location | Penn Square Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States |
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| Coordinates | 40°2′16.8″N 76°18′29.5″W / 40.038000°N 76.308194°WCoordinates: 40°2′16.8″N 76°18′29.5″W / 40.038000°N 76.308194°W |
| Built | July 4, 1874 |
| Architect | Lewis Haldy |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 73001635 |
| Added to NRHP | April 2, 1973 |
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a 43-foot (13 m) tall Gothic Revival memorial which stands in Penn Square in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was dedicated on July 4, 1874, at its present site on the Northeast intersection of King and Queen Streets. The monument's original intention was to pay tribute to Lancastrian Union soldiers killed during the American Civil War. However, today the Soldiers and Sailors Monument also represents those who have served in subsequent American military conflicts.
The 1744 Treaty of Lancaster between the British and Iroquois was signed in the old Lancaster courthouse which stood on the site of the monument at the time.
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument also stands on the exact spot where the Second Continental Congress met during the American Revolutionary War on September 27, 1777, in the old Lancaster Courthouse. The courthouse later burned down in 1784. The monument has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since April 2, 1973.
The Lancaster Soldiers and Sailors Monument features a 43-foot (13 m) tall Rhode Island, rectangular granite pillar topped with a statue of a robed woman on a pedestal known as the "The Genius of Liberty". The Genius of Liberty holds a drawn sword and a shield. Her head is crowned with stars. She faces north which, according to legend, allows her to turn her back on the former Confederate States of America, which were defeated in the war.
Statues of four men representing the four branches of the American armed services surround the granite shaft near its base. The four branches represented by the men are the United States Navy, United States Army, Artillery and the United States Cavalry.
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