Your Location:

Stop #1: Spanish-American War Monument

Evelyn Beatrice Longman

Evelyn Longman's 1927 Spanish-American War Monument in Bushnell Park commemorates the patriotism and valor of Hartford men who served during the Spanish-American War in 1898. The bronze figure is an allegory of Victory that harkens back to Hellenistic Greek traditions of remembrance.

Start Here

Stop #2: West Hartford Veterans Memorial

Vincent Stryeski

The Connecticut Veterans Memorial in West Hartford is a sleek minimalist site sculpture and pocket garden in the city center. It was designed in 2002-2003 by Vincent Stryeski of Kaestle Boos Associates, New Britain. The monument itself is a circular timeline made of polished black granite blocks.

Start Here

Stop #3: New Britain Spanish-American War Memorial

Delbert Perry, Robert George Eberhard

The New Britain Spanish-American War Memorial was designed by Delbert Perry and he was assisted by Earl Bishop and William H. Allen Co., all of New Britain. The sculptor for the bronze relief plaques was Robert George Eberhard, a professor of sculpture at Yale. Alderman W.H. Judd, the Chairman of the Common Council which awarded the commission, stated that “the monument, although in the form of a lighthouse, is still designed as a monument, and the committee selected this type of memorial because under the shadows of the Morro Castle light, the Maine was sunk, an act which aroused the whole country and caused the declaration of war by Congress."

Start Here

Several New England towns created monuments commemorating their citizens who served in the brief Spanish-American War. The United States declared war on Spain in April 1898 following the sinking of the USS Battleship Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. The fighting occurred at sea, in Manilla Bay in the Philippines and in Cuba resulting in a capitulation by Spain. By the Treaty of Paris signed on December 10, 1898, Spain yielded control of what remained of its overseas territories, resulting in the independence of Cuba, the cession of Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States, and the purchase of the Philippine Islands from Spain by the US. A very active veterans association sponsored the creation of war memorials in the 1920s. The greater Hartford area has two fine examples – Evelyn Longman’s in Bushnell Park in Hartford and Delbert Perry’s in Willow Brook Park in New Britain.

The Stops

Starting at stop #1, this Driving tour is miles long.