Out & About: Group hasn’t forgotten about Hartford WWI, WWII memorials

After World War I and II, Hartford put up two monuments with the names of all who served.

At some point over the decades, the monuments fell down or were taken down — the history is unclear. The remaining pieces of the cast iron World War I monument, including 274 nameplates, ended up stacked in the basement of Garipay House, the Hartford Historical Society’s home in Hartford Village. No one really knows what happened to the World War II monument.

Now, a motivated group of volunteers led by Mary Kay Brown is determined to bring them back. The group was gaining momentum a few years ago before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed those plans. They are now resuming their efforts with an eye on starting a fundraising campaign next year.

“I think this is our town’s history and we should restore the forgotten names that were on these original monuments, because if you look at these names, it’s the people that built this town whose names are on it,” Brown said, listing Briggs, Bugbee, Clifford, Hazen, Lyman and Waterman. “So many people that still live here had relatives that were in those wars, and for them to just be completely anonymous and these monuments to have been taken down for whatever reason and never rebuilt just seems like a shame to lose that history, that very personal history.”

Brown isn’t quite sure why she decided to take up the cause. In the summer of 2019 “for some reason I got it in my head I wanted to work on this project,” Brown, whose husband is a veteran of Desert Storm, said during an interview at Veterans Park last week. The group started by visiting the basement in Garipay House and assessing what, exactly, remained of the World War I monument. They were pleasantly surprised to find that all but 10 of the original 284 names were there.

“No one is exactly sure why it got taken down,” Brown said.

There were between 650 and 700 names on the World War II monument, according to a list found by Pat Stark, a member of the Hartford Historical Society.

The World War I monument was located outside town hall, but no one is quite sure where the World War II monument stood. In the years since, the town has put up a couple of generic monuments, including one in Veterans Park.

“Those are nice, but it’s a shame that all these names got lost,” Brown said. The group is eyeing Veterans Park, next to the courthouse in downtown White River Junction. There is already a small monument there and the lawn has space for an additional monument.

While the group originally had an eye to complete restoration for the WWI monument, it would be cost-prohibitive; rough estimates are around $100,000. Now, the group is considering combing the names into one monument that would include a slab of granite or another strong stone. The names of those who served in the first World War would be on a plaque on one side and the names of those who served in the second World War would get a plaque on the other side. Or the names could be lasered on the stone. It could cost between $25,000 and $50,000, Brown said. The design is still in the early stages, and nothing has been finalized.

“Nobody on this small committee of five thought we could raise $100,000 or more. But somehow it seems like raising $25,000 to $50,000 seems doable,” Brown said.

They’re also looking to partner with area veterans groups and businesses who might have an interest in devoting time or funds to the project.

“The bulk of the cost is to build the thing and install it,” she said.

Brown is looking to recruit volunteers, especially those who would be interested in helping with fundraising efforts. The Hartford Historical Society would serve as the fiscal agent for donations.

Editor’s note: For more information, email Brown at ww1monument@gmail.com.

Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.