Washington and Lee War Memorial --- Cory Smith

       
               Situated across from Red Square, a memorial stands honoring the Washington and Lee students that have lost their lives fighting to defend America.  This gate-like memorial is passed through by students everyday going to and from class.  It was erected in 1920 with plaques dedicated to soliders who lost their lives in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam, Afghanistan, Persian Gulf, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Both sides of the memorial seem identical when looked at from a far away view, but the left side of the memorial has  a couple more plaques than the right side, so the memorial is not symmetrical.

These are examples of the plaques dedicated at the memorial.  They are bronze plaques that have inscripted the names of each member of Washington and Lee that died in battle.  Each plaque started with the same phrase "To the memory of the sons of Washington and Lee University who sacrificed their lives in the service of their country during...".  Weathering could make distinguishing the age of the plaques noticeable.  

These plaques are individualized to the select people that died during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Persian Gulf War, and the war in Afghanistan, with the most recent addition added in 2009.

Finally, there is a plaque specifically for the Washington and Lee class of 1943 that was dedicated by members of their class in their honor.  They outnumber any class in terms of number of lives lost during war, with 19 lives lost during World War II.

Memorial in Lexington-Kasey Cannon

Today, I visited the Rockbridge County Veterans Memorial. It is located on Main Street to the right of the business building. I have walked by this memorial many many times, yet I have never previously stopped to read or find out what its purpose was. 

This memorial was dedicated in 2000 to all the veterans from Rockbridge County. There are many plaques on the rocks surrounding the memorial showing support for all the wars in which the veterans fought in.

There are plaques commemorating those who passed away in Afghanistan, Operation Desert Storm, Korea, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and the Civil War.

The memorial has two entry ways. This makes the memorial very welcoming. As shown in the pictures above, the rock formations can serve as benches, also making the memorial practical.

While walking through campus and Lexington, I was overwhelmed by the amount of memorials I saw.  However, I was even more taken back by the fact that I had never noticed any of them previously. There are so many plaques, benches, etc scattered throughout such a small area. Since being in the class, I now take notice of nearly every memorial I pass.

Lexington Memorial - Ali Burner

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The memorial I chose for this blog post was the little park on the corner of Nelson and Jefferson. I have walked by this park many times, but have never actually taken the time to look at it. The park itself is a memorial to a historic Lexington family and a piece of Lexington’s history. Within the park are about four memorials. I thought the most interesting one was the tree that serves as a living memorial for Robert W. Meador for his “leadership in the revitalization of downtown Lexington”. This plaque was very hard to see. It was sort of hidden behind another tree and placed along the back end of the fence. The plaque is the only thing that identifies this tree as special. I personally like the idea behind living memorials, and I think that for a man who was recognized for revitalizing the town, a living memorial that would be beneficial to the town is a great memorial to him. 

Here are some photos of the plaque at the entrance to the park and then the plaque and the memorial tree. 

Julia Arena

  When starting my walk, I left the sorority house and headed towards Cadaver Bridge. By the time I reached the bridge, I found about 10 different plaques. I could not believe that in all the times I have made this walk, I have never realized how many plaques of commemoration are located on the Washington and Lee campus. After passing about 2 or 3 more plaques, I reached President Ruscio’s home. Previously belonging to Robert E. Lee, the President’s home acts as a sort of memorial to the former general and head of school. Along the wall of the garage that faces the street, there is a plaque honoring Traveller. Upon leaving campus and entering town, I passed several other plaques and buildings that memorialized either different events or figures. 

            Because I was able to take my time and make the effort to notice small details I had not seen before, I picked out several other acts of commemoration. For instance, I had heard of the Alexander-Withrow house before but had never come across it. In fact, I felt slightly embarrassed when I realized that I had never once noticed the Veteran’s Memorial on Main Street. Instead of continuing down Main, I made my way past the Veteran’s Memorial where the buildings recede. Inside the courtyard-like area, sit several other plaques and benches showing gratitude or remembrance. Back on East Washington, I headed to the Hampton Inn and picked up a small brochure on the historic portion of the hotel. My most significant findings on the journey home were located in the Hopkins Green. The small park or green contains about six benches in honor or people or groups of people and a memorial.

              Reflecting upon my journey as a whole, there is one plaque that I cannot get out of my mind. It is a plaque I passed on East Washington commemorating “absolutely nothing”. I found it to be both amusing and unique that someone would make the effort to commemorate something so insignificant. All afternoon I kept wondering what the intentions of the plaque and the person who had it made were, and if there was maybe a background story.

Non-Historical Marker by Erica Schiller

   There is a plaque by Stonewall Jackson's house that has always struck me when I've passed by the area.  It's small and plain, but if you stop long enough to get a good look at it you'll see that it's not a real monument at all. 

   This is a "non-historical marker".  I first discovered it when I visited Washington and Lee over Johnson weekend last year.  A couple friends and I had just visited Jackson's home when we left, rounded the corner, and noticed this.  My friend April was the first to notice it; she laughed suddenly, then pointed it out to us when we asked.  I thought it was hilarious.  We snapped a few pictures in front of it, went back to campus, and I didn't think about it much again, unless passing right by it.  It was only during this class that I started to really think about the significance of it.  The culture of memorials around Lexington is so strong, and memorials themselves are so common, that I could have easily walked past this without noticing it, thinking it yet another memorial.  It's funny that we have such a memorialized area that this is possible, and that many people probably don't know about this plaque at all. 

A Memorial At W&L-Megan Fricke

Today I was on a run when I discovered a very important memorial.  I was running through back campus, up near the athletic fields and the freshman parking lot when I ran by this memorial that commemorates a very significant part of Washington and Lee's history.  This memorial recognizes Liberty Hall, the original school that would soon be known internationally was the university that it is today.  The University was originally known as Augusta Academy and served as an institution for higher learning at a different site approximately 20 miles north of Lexington.  In 1782, however, the school relocated to this site and was officially chartered by Virginia legislature as Liberty Hall Academy.  After two extremely destructive fires, the original wooden buildings were completely destroyed.  In 1793, the stone structure that is seen on the memorial plaque and whose ruins stand on site today was officially constructed.  Yet, in 1803, the school fell victim once again to a destructive fire.  It was after this fire that the the school relocated to its present location.

Here you can see the ruins that have preserved as a reminder of the beginning of Washington and Lee University.  Our school is proud and reminiscent of its history, as tradition is a very important and revered aspect of life on campus.  Today, visitors can walk up and directly observe the ruin.  This memorial shows just how proud Washington and Lee is of its history and of its past.  Parties and events are often held in the grass directly under the shadows of the ruins and the memorial, so that attendees are aware of the past and the building that made today's school possible.  The memorial itself is built into the hill in front of the ruins.  There are 3 plaques installed in this hill that offer information about the ruins and commemorate the site as an important historical landmark.  Here are pictures of these 3 plaques:

General Francis H. Smith Monument - Mary Carson Irvine

The memorial that I decided to use for this blog post is a statue of Major General Francis H. Smith at VMI. Smith was the first superintendent of VMI and held the position for 50 years. VMI's website states that Smith was "born in 1812, graduated from West Point in 1833 and came to Lexington, Virginia in 1839 to lead the newly established Virginia Military Institute." Smith is know as the builder and after the Civil War the rebuilder of VMI. The monument was put on VMI's campus in 1931.

The statue shows Smith with a scroll in his right hand, signifying the act of giving a diploma. In his left hand, he holds a Bible. This is significant because Smith gave each graduating student a Bible with a personal inscription. Today, VMI graduates still receive Bible on the day of graduation. I chose this monument because I think it's very interesting that Smith was the first superintendent of VMI and was the superintendent for so long. I really like the aspect of giving a Bible to each graduate, which also drew me to choose this monument.

Here are a few pictures of the monument. As you can see in the 3rd and 4th pictures, Smith is standing in front of, what looks to me like a podium. It looks like the podium is draped in a blanket. What is on that part of the statue is kind of hard to read but I'm pretty sure it says "Sic Semper Tyrannis" which means "thus always to tyrants."Although Smith is relatively far away from the barracks, he is still facing the barracks. To me, this shows him still protective over the institute, watching over it from a distance.  I really enjoyed taking pictures of this monument, and would love to learn more about it.