I am posting this for my friend Bill Styple, author/editor of several Civil War books and town historian of the town of Kearny, NJ.
Joe Bilby
On September 29th, the General Phil Kearny Memorial Committee will be dedicating a restored 1888 statue of a Civil War Infantryman which originally stood (1888-1933) in front of the New Jersey Home for Civil War Veterans. We would like to invite all Civil War reenactors and history buffs to this event; please help and spread the word.
All we ask is that reenactors please register (no fee), as we plan to issue a dedication ribbon to all registered participants.
Invitation for all Union Reenactors and Civil War buffs.
Dedication of a Bronze Civil War Soldier Statue.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
1:00 PM
Location: 314 Belgrove Drive, Kearny, N.J.
The site of the New Jersey Home for Disabled Civil War Soldiers and Sailors, and the present location of the American Legion hall.
In the decades that followed the Civil War, thousands of New Jersey veterans lived their final years at the "Old Soldiers' Home" located in Kearny.
For nearly fifty years, a six-foot tall statue of a Union Infantryman stood guard at the entrance of the home until the home was closed in 1933. The barracks were torn down, cannon rolled away and the silent sentinel statue was removed from his post, and somehow severely damaged, eventually placed in storage and forgotten.
Recently discovered by the members of the General Phil Kearny Memorial Committee, the group has raised nearly $35,000 to have this statue restored to its former glory. The bronze soldier will be placed near where he originally stood; a 7-ton boulder from the Gettysburg Battlefield will serve as a pedestal.
If you would like to attend the dedication ceremony, please contact:
Bill Styple
w.styple@att.net
or
Gen. Phil Kearny Memorial Committee
PO Box 483
Kearny, NJ 07032
201-991-8749
