Spanish-American War Memorials

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.