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Monument hidden in plain sight1/22/2024 ![]() ![]() For many years it stood next to the bandstand in what is now called Centennial Park. The Soldiers' Monument had been placed in the perfect position to be the center of other celebrations, as well. After thirteen years - one for each man lost in the duration of the war - the community had finished mourning. This custom continued until 1932, when it was noted that there was no Armistice Day observance. There is a detailed account of the 1920 parade, which ended with Captain George Herring giving a speech, and the placement of the wreath by an honor guard. Every Armistice Day a parade was held and a wreath placed on the monument in honor of the soldiers. This was only the first of many celebrations that centered around the Soldiers' Monument. They had lost their parents earlier, which left her an orphan while in high school. She was the sister of the first victim from Seminole County, Arthur Lossing. Perhaps most poignant was the unveiling itself, done by Frank L. The Seminole County Guards took part in the ceremony. Housholder and Major Forrest Lake, who would eventually become mayor, played prominent roles. There were a number of prominent local citizens present at the dedication on February 23, 1919. The general citizenry of Sanford heard about the idea through an advertisement on the fourth page of the 20 December 1918 edition of the Sanford Herald. ![]() Thirteen had died during the official years of the war four died later due to complications related to war injuries. The Soldiers' Monument of 1919 was based on a simple idea: to commemorate the thirteen young men who had died to date. casualties of World War I, seventeen were from Seminole County, Florida. It has gone from a symbol of a community's mourning, and one of solidarity in the face of a highly segregated community, to a largely forgotten "broken" pillar, its history a hidden past that can easily be seen on the face of the stone itself. Despite its current place of honor, many people overlook this memorial in favor of the newer and larger monument that stands behind it, a few dozen yards closer to the lake. The Soldiers' Monument stands in plain sight at the fore of Veterans' Memorial Park on the shore of Lake Monroe in Sanford, Florida. ![]()
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