On May 30, 1928, this statue of a standing soldier was erected within the Locust Street Park in Columbia.
A little more than seven feet tall, the bronze sculpture rests on a granite base about five feet tall.
Cast in New York State in 1923, this sculpture by Burt Johnson is the replication of a memorial in Woodside, Long Island.
A bronze tablet attached to the base contains this inscription:
“THE RETURNED SOLDIER”
DEDICATED MAY 30TH 1928
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE PATRIOTIC
SPIRIT, VALOR AND HEROISM OF THE
MAN AND WOMAN OF THIS COMMUNITY
WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY IN WAR
1776 – 1918
The postcard was printed by J.P. Walmer of Harrisburg.
At the time the memorial was raised, few expected that the nation would face an even greater conflict within fifteen years.
The monument still stands in the Locust Street Park.
