'Lady Victory' may have lost the battle with the wind, but the toppled statue won the war. Now she's back where she belongs in Mercer, Pa. -- standing tall

Two fallen figures, bent flagpole, broken musket, return of Lady Victory last week (Courtesy of Mercer County)

For about 125 years, motorists, shoppers and those doing business at the Mercer County courthouse in Pennsylvania have been greeted by “Lady Victory,” a statue of a woman solemnly placing a wreath on a kneeling soldier.

All was well until March 2023, when calamity struck.

Sixty mph-winds rushing through Western Pennsylvania toppled the Civil War statue dedicated in 1897, causing damage that reads like something from an NFL injured reserve list:

-- Soldier’s left knee blown out and he is bent backward; his right foot is separated from base plate;

-- Weapon broke off at soldier’s wrist, and butt stock of weapon is broken off base plate.

-- Lady Victory is bent backward and her feet suffered separation from base plate; (photo left, courtesy Mercer County)

-- Flag bent toward the front of the statue; eagle at the top of flagpole twisted to nearly a 90-degree angle;

-- Base bent and mangled and two side plates are broken loose;

Nearly two years after the top of the Civil War monument on the Mercer County courthouse square was knocked to the sidewalk, a crane late last week lifted the repaired statue back in place. (photo below, courtesy Mercer County)

The formal name of the monument, “Victory Crowning the Returned Soldier,” seemed especially appropriate for such an occasion.

“I know it’s kind of an iconic thing, that people were very upset when it was gone. We just had that pillar there for the last couple years,” Grace Reiter, executive director of the Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce, told TV station WKBN.

The return of Lady Victory is being welcomed in a county with significant history related to the Civil War.

There was strong abolitionist sentiment in the first half of the 19^th century, including support of the Underground Railroad, which spirited escaped and freed enslaved people to safety.

“Mercer became a significant stopping point for the slaves,” said the Grove City Area Historical Society. “The Pew family farm was a ‘station’ on the railway. It is believed Joseph Newton Pew and his siblings were personally involved in moving the escaped slaves.”

Numerous regiments drew from the area. That includes the 10^th Reserves, 57^th, 100^th, 140^th and the 145^th Pennsylvania infantry. 

“These regiments fought in the Eastern Theater, with the exception of the 100^th that fought in both Eastern and Western Theaters with the 9^th Corps,” said Chris Conti, senior planner with the Mercer County Regional Planning Commission.    

Among the town’s Civil War heroes was Medal of Honor recipient Lewis Brest, (below) who captured a Confederate flag near war’s end at Sailor’s Creek, Va.

Mercer-born soldier Martin J. Hawkins entered service in Ohio and received the medal for exhibiting great courage during the Andrews Raid in Georgia in 1862. He was among two dozen men who commandeered a Southern train.

Like hundreds of other communities – North and South – Mercer County erected its monument in the late 19^th century. (The county, between Pittsburgh and Erie, Pa., is on the border with Ohio. Youngstown is the closest large city.)

Brian Gruber, facility director for the county, told the Picket on Monday statues of two soldiers representing the cavalry and artillery were not damaged by the windstorm. They stand in the middle of the monument.

The memorial is called “Victory Crowning the Returned Soldier” but for short it is called “Lady Victory.” All three statues on the monument were built by W. H. Mullins of Salem, Ohio, said Gruber.

They were fashioned from stamped copper and bronze. 

McKay Lodge Art Conservation Laboratory of Oberlin, Ohio, performed the repairs and Alex Restoration and Masonry Repairs out of New Castle, Pa., placed the repaired status atop the base.

Early photos of the courthouse monument in the W.H. Mullins catalog

The cost was covered by insurance, Gruber told the Picket.

An August 2024 storm damaged a clock on the west side of the courthouse. "We had a severe storm roll through and the high winds snapped the clock in half, imploding it into the inside of the building," said Gruber. A replacement will be installed March 12.

About 110,000 people live in Mercer County, which has the active historical society.

“As far as our economy, similar to all counties in Western Pennsylvania, we have gone from rural/agricultural to industrial to ‘Rust Belt’ to attempting to diversify and redevelop,” said Conti. One of the largest outlet malls in the nation is located on Interstate 79 in southern Mercer County.

Outsiders, including those in the Pittsburgh area, come to Pymatuning Lake and Goddard state parks and the Shenango reservoir. Other attractions include Keystone Safari and the Avenue of 444 Flags (photo right, Wikipedia).

Reiter, with the Chamber of Commerce, said Mercer – which has about 2,000 residents – is loaded with small-town charm.

“We cherish the moments that give us that classic ‘Hallmark movie’ feeling, and lately, there's been a renewed energy -- a spark of rejuvenation and a strong desire to create meaningful community events and lasting memories,” she wrote to the Picket in an email.

“Our town has a unique character due to its proximity to the courthouse, which brings a strong presence of nonprofits and government-related businesses. However, there's also been an exciting wave of growth, with new retail shops opening on the square and businesses growing.” 

Portion of Confederate defensive trench will be preserved in new Atlanta-area park

A view of the trench looking southwest (Georgia Battlefields Association)

A new park northwest of Atlanta will feature the remnants of a trench briefly occupied by Confederates during the Federal army’s push on Atlanta in summer 1864.

Cobb County commissioners last year purchased 94 acres from the Kemp family – which has been in the area for seven generations – for $6.5 million. An opening date for the park, off Burnt Hickory Road west of Marietta and above Harrison High School, has not been set.

At the time of the purchase, county officials said they were grateful because the Kemp family could have made more money by selling to developers.

Charlie Crawford, head of the Georgia Battlefields Association, said experts indicate the defensive trench was occupied for a few days by Mercer’s Georgia brigade after Confederates withdrew from the New Hope Church line on June 4, 1864.

“Mercer’s brigade and Vaughan’s Tennessee brigade to its right (northeast) were in an advanced position from the Lost Mountain-Brushy Mountain Line and were withdrawn to the main line not long after Federal forces advanced,” the GBA said in a recent newsletter lauding the park acquisition. “The adjacent advanced position on Pine Mountain farther northeast was abandoned after the death of Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk there on 14 June 1864.”

Tommy Kemp provided a tour of the property (GBA)

Federal and Rebel forces clashed on June 15-16 at Gilgal Church, just east of the park.

Crawford, who attended a recent park preview, said the trench “is easily discernible but not exceptional.” He estimates it to be at least several dozen yards long. It continues north across a road to property still owned by the Kemps. There are still some cows on the land.

“A trail already crosses the trench, and I assume a better trail will be part of the county plan,” he said. An historic map in Baylor University Libraries’ digital collection shows the Kemp farm and mill.

Charlie Monroe, natural resource manager for Cobb County parks, said the master planning process will begin later this year. "Included in that process are public input meetings where residents are encouraged to provide us with feedback on what they want to see in the park," Monroe said. The master plan and design documents will guide decisions on how to interpret the trench, he said.

Monroe said there is no money currently available for development and construction.

County Commissioner Bob Weatherford told the Marietta Daily Journal last fall that the property near Allatoona Creek has two homes, a family cemetery and the Civil War site, which he said will be fenced off and protected. At that time, plans were for the tract to be a passive park, emphasizing the natural habitat.