Post by BereniceUK on Mar 31, 2017 18:58:13 GMT
The Civil War monument in the center of York Village has for years been at the center of a rather bizarre controversy. Ghostly Tours, a York business that offers walking tours featuring some of the town's more unusual legends, includes the monument in its spiel - pointing out that the soldier watching over the town, rifle at the ready, is dressed not in the uniform of a Union soldier, but rather in that of a Confederate soldier. The statue inscription reads: "To sons of York who served their country in Army and Navy for preservation of the Union." The tour guide, dressed in a long black robe, says that on certain cold, dark nights, a tear can be seen on the soldier's cheek - a sign of his longing to return to the warmth of his native soil.
Local lore has it that town officials at the time knew about the mix-up but refused to acknowledge it. In an old news article, one resident, Rick Souza, is quoted as saying that the statue looks like a "skinny Colonel Sanders" - it does have a goatee and is wearing a brimmed fedora. Souza wrote letters to 14 towns in the South named York, Yorkshire or Yorktown to see if they had a Union soldier, but he came up with no match.
Even members of the Old York Historical Society, according to interviews they gave to local newspapers, agreed that it looked like a Confederate soldier. For a while, it was thought the wrong monument was delivered to York and its counterpart sent to Kingstree, S.C. The monument there appears to show a Union solider. But there won't be a prisoner-of-war swap in this case because the town historical society has since acquired information that its members say proves beyond a doubt that the solider is not wearing a Confederate uniform. They don't expect anyone to believe them.
"Good stories won't die - and this is a good story - even if not supported by facts," said historical society director Scott Stevens. "People seem to prefer the story."
Cindy Young-Gomes, the Old York Historical Society's registrar, said the statue is generic, made after the Spanish-American War, and that the uniform is consistent with that time period. "There were Civil War veterans alive at the time," said Young-Gomes. "It certainly would have been obvious to them if a mistake had been made. Between the Civil War and the Spanish-American War was the Indian Campaign, so the style of uniforms did not change greatly."
No one knows for sure how the story got started. Young-Gomes speculated it might be because the uniform is not clearly that of a Union soldier. "But it's not right for a Confederate soldier either," she said. "People go by the hat, but it's not necessarily military-issue. The soldiers were often home-grown and used what they had. It's not cut and dried like it is today. The belt buckle shows the letters ?SA,? but that could be USA and not Confederate States of America."
One interview, given many years ago, suggests that the Englishman who made the monument had a skewed view of Civil War garb, indicating the belt says USA, not GAR, or Grand Army of the Republic. What's not in dispute is that plans for the monument began in 1905. On Sept. 14, 1906, the monument committee voted to accept plans created by John E. Staples, a professional monument builder, and to raise $2,000 to pay for it. It was made in Massachusetts by an Englishman, Frederick Barnicoat, considered to be one of the country's outstanding figure carvers. York had decided to go first class. The commission for the statue indicated it was to be 18 feet high, with the soldier being 6 feet 8 inches tall. Four emblems on the base were to represent the four branches of the military. The base is made of Quincy granite, and the statue of Westerly granite. The final cost was $1,929.10.
The monument was dedicated on May 2, 1906, by Gov. Joshua Chamberlain. Documentation shows that York's statue is not whistling Dixie.
In a treatise titled "Confederates in the Attic," author Tony Horowitz blows apart the concept that York and Kingstree's soldiers were switched at birth. The statues were made in different states, and in different years. The Kingstree "lost twin" was commissioned in 1910 from a company in South Carolina, making York's statue four years older. That's one urban legend banished; here comes the next. Remember John Staples, the man who designed the statue? According to documents held by the Old York Historical Society, Staples oversaw the entire project. He viewed photos and the statue itself prior to its delivery to York. He made trips to Massachusetts to make sure what the committee wanted was carried out. Apparently the committee viewed and approved the design, whiskers, felt hat and all. The monument that sits in the village center reflects Staples' design.
"They picked the person they liked," said local historian Virginia Spiller in an early interview in the York Transcript, a now defunct newspaper. "He is unique. It is a man who was created. He's York's soldier."
One article from the time said the uniform bore similarities to one worn by the Iron Brigade from the Midwest and, according to some photos, by the 20th Maine Regiment. Concerned that the soldier was a Confederate, one resident, David Colt, sent photos of it to Luther Hanson, a specialist at the Army Quartermaster Museum in Fort Lee, Va. Hanson's opinion was that the uniform resembled that of a veteran of the Spanish-American war.
It might be different in Kingstree. Legend says a riot was sparked when the statue there was unveiled.
If the Old York Historical Society doesn't expect it will be believed, I won't be upset if no one believe this story either. There are concrete facts to prove the soldier is right where he belongs.
Local lore has it that town officials at the time knew about the mix-up but refused to acknowledge it. In an old news article, one resident, Rick Souza, is quoted as saying that the statue looks like a "skinny Colonel Sanders" - it does have a goatee and is wearing a brimmed fedora. Souza wrote letters to 14 towns in the South named York, Yorkshire or Yorktown to see if they had a Union soldier, but he came up with no match.
Even members of the Old York Historical Society, according to interviews they gave to local newspapers, agreed that it looked like a Confederate soldier. For a while, it was thought the wrong monument was delivered to York and its counterpart sent to Kingstree, S.C. The monument there appears to show a Union solider. But there won't be a prisoner-of-war swap in this case because the town historical society has since acquired information that its members say proves beyond a doubt that the solider is not wearing a Confederate uniform. They don't expect anyone to believe them.
"Good stories won't die - and this is a good story - even if not supported by facts," said historical society director Scott Stevens. "People seem to prefer the story."
Cindy Young-Gomes, the Old York Historical Society's registrar, said the statue is generic, made after the Spanish-American War, and that the uniform is consistent with that time period. "There were Civil War veterans alive at the time," said Young-Gomes. "It certainly would have been obvious to them if a mistake had been made. Between the Civil War and the Spanish-American War was the Indian Campaign, so the style of uniforms did not change greatly."
No one knows for sure how the story got started. Young-Gomes speculated it might be because the uniform is not clearly that of a Union soldier. "But it's not right for a Confederate soldier either," she said. "People go by the hat, but it's not necessarily military-issue. The soldiers were often home-grown and used what they had. It's not cut and dried like it is today. The belt buckle shows the letters ?SA,? but that could be USA and not Confederate States of America."
One interview, given many years ago, suggests that the Englishman who made the monument had a skewed view of Civil War garb, indicating the belt says USA, not GAR, or Grand Army of the Republic. What's not in dispute is that plans for the monument began in 1905. On Sept. 14, 1906, the monument committee voted to accept plans created by John E. Staples, a professional monument builder, and to raise $2,000 to pay for it. It was made in Massachusetts by an Englishman, Frederick Barnicoat, considered to be one of the country's outstanding figure carvers. York had decided to go first class. The commission for the statue indicated it was to be 18 feet high, with the soldier being 6 feet 8 inches tall. Four emblems on the base were to represent the four branches of the military. The base is made of Quincy granite, and the statue of Westerly granite. The final cost was $1,929.10.
The monument was dedicated on May 2, 1906, by Gov. Joshua Chamberlain. Documentation shows that York's statue is not whistling Dixie.
In a treatise titled "Confederates in the Attic," author Tony Horowitz blows apart the concept that York and Kingstree's soldiers were switched at birth. The statues were made in different states, and in different years. The Kingstree "lost twin" was commissioned in 1910 from a company in South Carolina, making York's statue four years older. That's one urban legend banished; here comes the next. Remember John Staples, the man who designed the statue? According to documents held by the Old York Historical Society, Staples oversaw the entire project. He viewed photos and the statue itself prior to its delivery to York. He made trips to Massachusetts to make sure what the committee wanted was carried out. Apparently the committee viewed and approved the design, whiskers, felt hat and all. The monument that sits in the village center reflects Staples' design.
"They picked the person they liked," said local historian Virginia Spiller in an early interview in the York Transcript, a now defunct newspaper. "He is unique. It is a man who was created. He's York's soldier."
One article from the time said the uniform bore similarities to one worn by the Iron Brigade from the Midwest and, according to some photos, by the 20th Maine Regiment. Concerned that the soldier was a Confederate, one resident, David Colt, sent photos of it to Luther Hanson, a specialist at the Army Quartermaster Museum in Fort Lee, Va. Hanson's opinion was that the uniform resembled that of a veteran of the Spanish-American war.
It might be different in Kingstree. Legend says a riot was sparked when the statue there was unveiled.
If the Old York Historical Society doesn't expect it will be believed, I won't be upset if no one believe this story either. There are concrete facts to prove the soldier is right where he belongs.