This photo was taken from my car on my way to work at the USM Gorham campus one morning in April. This is another historic marker that I pass every day, and I had yet to visit it in my 11+ years at USM. I have never seen anyone else visit it either, yet it is an imposing marble monument with a lovely decorative fence in a prominent location - I would think passersby would be curious. Perhaps its location on a busy corner with no parking discourages visitors.
The monument is made of Italian marble, erected in 1866 to honor the fallen men of Gorham in the Civil War. It stands 24 feet tall and is inscribed with the names of 57 men, including captains, lieutenants, sergeants, corporals, infantry, cavalry, and one reverend, John R. Adams, D.D., who acted as chaplain to the 5th Maine and 121st New York Regiments. An elaborate dedication ceremony ensued on October 18, 1866, and General Joshua Chamberlain was in attendance to give a speech. The dead were young and old and in-between and came from many walks of life. Some had fought in the French and Indian wars and in the War of 1812, and continued to serve their country in its fight for independence.
The photo above shows a large crowd of soldiers, townspeople, dignitaries and neighboring townspeople at the dedication ceremony. After the ceremony a celebration was held in the Gorham Town House behind the monument. The monument was suggested by the Honorable Toppan Robie (although a town committee approved it) and paid for by him in the amount of $3,060.00, a large sum at the time. He was a well-respected citizen who held many offices in local government, was a very successful businessman, a trustee of the Gorham Academy, and very involved in the church. He donated money or objects to a number of causes in Gorham, including the Gorham Academy, the Ministerial fund, and a clock to the town.
The monument was carved by William Johnson of Malden, Massachusetts.
Apparently the monument and old Town House continued to loom large in the town's imagination well after the Civil War, as evidenced by this postcard from circa 1910. The monument is important because it commemorates the shared sacrifice of many in service to the union, and keeps alive the memory of Gorham's dead.
Sources consulted include:
http://www.gorhamhistorical.com/chronology
http://www.maine.gov/civilwar/monuments/gorham.html
http://books.google.com/books/about/Dedication_of_the_Soldiers_monument_at_G.html?id=HcErAAAAYAAJ
http://www.archive.org/stream/memorialofhontop00wate/memorialofhontop00wate_djvu.txt
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