“Freedom is the last best hope of
earth.”
~Abraham Lincoln
~1809 ~ 1865
~16th President of the United
States of America
~1861 ~ 1865
Old Glory billows in the summer
breeze as valor is celebrated at the Soldiers & Sailors Monument in the
heart of Centre Square, Easton, Pennsylvania, on a beautiful late July
afternoon in this historic Delaware River Town.
The Civil War Monument that now stands on the old courthouse site is a
75 foot tall obelisk topped by what is locally called the “The Bugler.”
Formally named the Soldiers & Sailors Monument, the obelisk was
designed to honor all of the armed forces who fought in the Civil War, and was
dedicated to local veterans in 1900. Each year during the Christmas season, the
monument is shrouded by a one hundred foot Peace Candle, which is ceremoniously
lit the Friday evening after Thanksgiving and remains on display through
January.
The
monument was rededicated for its centennial May 14, 2000, not only in the name
of those who fought to preserve the Union in the Civil War, but to all veterans
who honorably served the United States of America.
Just across the Delaware River from
historic Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Easton was founded in 1752 and is located at
the confluence of the Delaware River and Lehigh River.