This old soldier won't fade away: Residents of Ohio village can now look eye-to-eye at Civil War statue reassembled after a big rig crushed monument into pieces

The old statue was moved into village administration building (LHS and Village of LaGrange)

“Sherman,” the Ohio Civil War statue that was shattered by a big rig and put back together again, has come in from the cold.

LaGrange village and township employees – using machine and muscle – late last week moved the granite man from the unheated old fire station to the village’s administration building.

“They rented a gun safe dolly. They used a lot of muscle, too,” said Jan King, treasurer of the LaGrange Historical Society. “He is inside where it is temperature controlled.”

The new home for the statue brings the story full circle for the Picket, which first reported on the matter in summer 2022 after a tractor trailer driver apparently fell asleep at the village’s traffic circle. The rig smashed the 1903 memorial into pieces.

The community was determined to make things whole.

Master stone carver Nicholas Fairplay glued “Sherman” back together and used him as a model for a replica. Cleveland Quarries rebuilt the monument base below the soldier.

Both were installed on the rural village’s circle in May 2025.

The old “Sherman” was moved around the same time to the fire station (photo, left), where he stood for seven months before the recent move.

The statue, which weighs about 1,500 pounds, is now in a hallway close to the historical society (he’s too big to fit inside the group’s small museum and learning center). It is being kept for now in a protective wooden frame.

“We will have to anchor him down,” said King. “There is a possibility he could be pushed over.”

That would be especially tragic for the old fellow, having already suffered the indignity of losing his head (it broke off) when the truck pulverized the original memorial. (Photos below from LaGrange Township)

Local folks call the statue “Sherman,” but King was quick to quash that moniker during our phone call.

The correct name is “the statue” or “the flag bearer,” she said.

So how did the stone soldier come to be called “Sherman”?

The monument base carried the names of LaGrange area residents who served during the war, the names of a few battles and of Union generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan and George Thomas. Sherman was an Ohioan.

Sherman’s name on the monument base was directly below the front of the statue, so that name stuck.

I asked King, whose family has lived in the community southwest of Cleveland for generations, to describe the old statue, now that he is on ground level.

The retired seamstress is impressed by the craftsmanship – the flag’s carved stars, stitch marks on his lapel and the deep-set eyes. “There is a lot of detail to it.” (Photos above, LaGrange Historical Society)

The society and village office are in a former school building on Liberty Street. “Sherman” is next to a trophy case.

The historical society is open on the third Sunday of each month and on special request. There are old records, photos and a buggy inside, all signaling LaGrange’s rural roots. “It used to be an agricultural city but it is getting more away from that,” said King.

A group of third-graders once stopped by and King was able to show some of them graduation photos of their grandparents.

New statue at studio in Vermilion and monument installation in LaGrange (Courtesy Cleveland Quarries)

Safety measures have helped reduce intrusions into the traffic circle, which is at the intersection of routes 301 and 303 (Main Street).

Villagers used to blow horns and drive around the circle when they got married; school buses still take victory laps when athletes return victorious from competitions elsewhere, King added.

Whatever he is called, the replica Union flag bearer is a fixture in LaGrange and watches over those passing through.

These unusual Rebel forts outside Atlanta were never tested by Sherman. A few Shoupades survive; volunteers toil to reveal a trench between two of them

Ron Wendt steps near exposed trench leading up to First Shoupade; Matt Larson wields a mattock; work Sunday was near Shoupade, 2, and redan, 3; the other Shoupade is marked 4; diagram shows defense design (Picket photos)

Where cannons and rifles once bristled, mattocks, saws and loppers were the weapons of the day Sunday afternoon for a small, but hardy crew working to clear vegetation and expose a trench that connected unique Confederate fortifications outside Atlanta.

The nonprofit River Line Historic Area (RLHA) sponsored the “Trimming the Trenches” workday at Shoupade Park in Smyrna, Ga. The goal is to “enrich the visitor's visual educational experience.”

Timber and earthen redoubts – known as Shoupades -- were built by enslaved laborers near the Chattahoochee River and were briefly manned in July 1864. The arrowhead shape allowed defenders to shoot in several directions. Artillery placed in nearby redans added to “the killing zone.” (Bill Scaife model of a Shoupade, left)

RLHA  and individuals have been working to expose the outline of an infantry trench between one Shoupade and a redan. The park is in the middle of a residential development.

While the work is still to be completed, progress was made Sunday. I could see the faint line indicating the trench where troops could move from one fortification to the next.

Born in Indiana, Confederate Brig. Gen. Francis A. Shoup (right) lent his name to a fort system that Union Maj. Gen William T. Sherman, intent on taking Atlanta, called “one of the strongest pieces of field fortifications I ever saw.”

The Chattahoochee River was the last natural obstacle for Union troops moving on Atlanta.

Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston ordered a series of defenses and the Rebels built 36 Shoupade forts, said Roberta Cook, executive director of RLHA. Ten remain in various levels of condition. Some are on public land and some on private property.

For all their ingenuity, the Shoupades never saw action. Sherman, using his familiar flanking strategy, crossed the river elsewhere, forcing Confederates to retreat to Atlanta. There is a belief that Johnston and some of his soldiers did not fully appreciate Shoupade's work.

Author Brad Butkovich says the forts were meant to be an impregnable barrier to the river with a small force, freeing up troops to guard the army flanks. He argues Johnston failed to use the forts to his advantage.

Cobb County owns the two-acre Shoupade Park and cuts the grass in the common area between its two Shoupades.

The shoupades are in vegetation in the center and a cleared area to the right (Cobb County Parks)

The earthworks are fenced but visitors get a good view and four signs explain how they worked. Charlie Crawford, president emeritus of the Georgia Battlefields Association, wrote the text. That organization has lamented development around several River Line sites.

“The River Line Historic Area adopted the park eight years ago to improve its level of care with volunteer labor, but it has been a challenge,” said Cook.

Volunteers have concentrated on clearing excess vegetation from the redan and the “First Shoupade.” English ivy is being kept in place to ward off erosion on the latter, Cook said. Recent work days have concentrated on the connecting trench so people can a better idea of how the defensive system was designed. 

Roberta Cook, Matt Larson, Gould Hagler, Julie Schrodt, Ron Wendt (Picket photo)

Shoupade Park is bordered by the Park Avenue subdivision. Pulte Homes donated the fortifications to the county when it built the large neighborhood on Oakdale Road, and it paid for the interpretive signage.

Cook led Sunday’s effort. Joining her were Matt Larson and Julie Schrodt, Park Avenue residents, and Gould Hagler and Ron Wendt, members of area Civil War roundtables. Schrodt  is a RLHA board member.

The nonprofit is involved in several endeavors, including maintaining historic cemeteries.

The Chattahoochee River Line stretched for nearly six miles and was meant to slow Federals. But Johnston was largely buying time before he was outflanked.

Cobb County maintains Discovery Park at the River Line, which features a Shoupade, anchor fort and an impressive stretch of Confederate earthworks. It is a few miles south of Shoupade Park.

I visited the park after the work day and enjoyed the walk on the top of a ridge and down below where a trail parallels the Chattahoochee River. 

Cobb County Parks maintains a helpful web page about Discovery Park, including a guide to Civil War markers. New trails and signs have been introduced in the past five years.

“Designed by a Confederate officer and built by army engineers, heavy units of the Georgia militia, slightly wounded soldiers and about a thousand enslaved Africans, these fortifications are some of the few still remaining,” the page says.

Julie Schrodt removes branches; interior of First Shoupade at Shoupade Park (Picket photos)

“The defensive line became known as Johnston’s River Line after Confederate General Joseph E. Johnson and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These fortifications are important as a reminder of the way war was fought in the 19^th century. Their historical importance and undisturbed state have led to their preservation.”

Another view of the trench line, with Ron Wendt inside (Picket photo)

Crawford, with the GBA, said a Federal artillery battery site at Discovery Park is currently off-limits. Battery D, 1^st Illinois Light Artillery Regiment, served west of Nickajack Creek.

The city of Smyrna's River Line Park includes another Shoupade. The park includes playing fields, concessions, trail and a playground.

The Second Shoupade at the park off Oakdale Road (Picket photo)

Artifacts in the round: Archaeologists provide fascinating conservation update on shattered wagon wheel, Confederate munitions found in S.C. river cleanup

Wheel before treatment began and in shower stall more recently for cleaning, 6-pounder and 12-pounder shells (SCIAA); George Barnard photo of damage in Columbia after the Civil War (Library of Congress)

Maybe it’s just me (it probably is), but an unusual Civil War artifact undergoing conservation in Columbia, S.C., looks like a king crab or spider with a few of its legs missing.

There, I said it.

I have been fascinated by the remnants of a wagon wheel believed destroyed on Feb. 19, 1865, when Federal forces sacked the South Carolina capital and dumped captured Confederate ammunition and materiel into the Congaree River.

A metal detector first noticed the round object buried in the bed of the Congaree. Archaeologists surmised it was a just another rubber tire -- one of many found during an extensive river cleanup a few years back. More than 500 Civil War-related artifacts were recovered during the project, and this is among the most unexpected.

Jim Legg, public archaeologist for the South Carolina Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA), this month provided an update to the Picket on the conservation of the artifact and other pieces, none of which were believed to be fired. (At right, a sample of grapeshot and canister, SCIAA photo)

Hundreds of items emerged in 2022 and 2023 as crews removed century-old coal tar along the Congaree shoreline. Since then, Legg’s office and TRC Companies, a subcontractor for Dominion Energy, have been working to conserve items with a wide range of dates.

The completed military part of the collection will go to South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum in Columbia for eventual exhibit.

The wheel hub, which has evidence of charring, will take at least another year to preserve. Archaeologists did not find any other wheels, metal hubs or large pieces of wood near the artifact.

“I have always thought the wheel was from (an) explosion. One thing that threw it off was that black rubber disk in the middle of the hub (left, TRC companies photo),” Legg wrote in an email.

"I finally just took it out to see what it was, and found that it was the rubber wheel from a 20th century kid's wagon. Either it floated into that location, or maybe one of the EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) guys picked it out of the junk pile and dropped it in there. It was a perfect fit.”

Even with that oddity, Legg is comfortable calling the fragment a casualty of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s troops.

The features are consistent with a 1860s wagon wheel and it was found where at least one heavy wagon was blown to pieces.

“There is no record of any guns or gun carriages being destroyed/dumped in the river,” he added.

Something blowed up real good at river

Federal troops threw Confederate war materiel into the river after they took what they wanted before marching to North Carolina. Much of the state capital went up in flames, from a variety of sources, after its surrender.

Sean Norris, program archaeologist for TRC Companies, previously said of the wheel:

William Waud depiction of the burning of Columbia in 1865 (Library of Congress)

“The official records mention the explosion and the destruction of a wagon and a team of mules in a couple correspondences. It seems possible that what was left of the wagon after it was destroyed was thrown in the river along with everything else that was being dumped. There would be no specific reason for the wagon parts to be discarded elsewhere.”

The wheel at first was treated in a basic solution at the Relic Room before Legg moved it to his laboratory. Most of the recovered iron items considered the most important have been conserved.

The wheel has presented some challenges

Legg keep the wheel fragment in a shower stall for about a month during rinsing and hand cleaning. The artifact then went into a small tank, where it is undergoing polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatment for about another year.

“For size comparison this thing appears to be the same size as those seen on the NPS field artillery carriages -- fairly massive,” Legg wrote. In any case, they are the same basic design as a heavy wagon wheel hub.” (A gun carriage wheel at Chickamauga, Jim Legg photo)

I asked Legg whether the wheel has presented a conservation challenge.

“Yes, the fact that it is heavily encased in wrought iron hardware. Ideally, it would be cut apart, and the iron bands would be treated with electrolysis while the wood underwent the PEG process, then reassembled.” He said the cost for that would be enormous.

“I did a lot of manual cleaning of the iron before I started the PEG, but the bands are still fairly crusty. The iron will pretty much have to fend for itself, and I can only hope that it is not too unstable after the process is done. I can probably do some hand cleaning at that stage, perhaps with air abrader (a tool used to reduce corrosion), which will at least make it look better.”

A few items are distinctively modern

Norris said the project encountered Native American ceramics and projectile points and typical historic glass and ceramics that you would expect to find in river a flowing through a city.

The Relic Room exhibit on the Congaree finds will include a few non-Civil War items. Legg provided a photo (above) with a range: A brass hose nozzle, an iron sash weight, a Waterbury Clock Company winding key, an iron fork with wood handle (possibly Civil War), a silver plate fork from the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, two .50-caliber BMG cartridges dated 1944, a pocket knife and a fire department button from the 1890s. 

Legg will produce a report on 1865 ordnance dump and a exhibit, possibly to open in 2027, at the Relic Room in Columbia.

“I have recently had some preliminary discussions with the museum about the exhibit, and the permanent curation of the collection there,” he said.

A group of 24-pounder and 12-pounder Confederate canister plates (SCIAA photo)

I asked Legg, who has helped produce three exhibits at the museum, how it might interpret the hundreds of historic artifacts found in the Congaree River cleanup.

“My thinking right now is to put the ordnance dump in the more general context of the Federal destruction of military resources in and around Columbia. I will also want to cover the pollution mitigation project itself, which was an amazing thing to see, even aside from the archaeology component.”

The Picket has reached out to the Relic Room for comment.

Recent view of the wagon wheel hub undergoing conservation in Columbia (SCIAA photo)

Craftsman has a window to the history of a home where South Carolina's governor fled to avoid Yankees. Robert Schmitt is working on its windows while the Dawkins House in Union awaits more funding for restoration, campus use

Robert Schmitt at work on windows and sashes (provided photo), McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture rendering of completed alumni house; how the weathered Dawkins dwelling looks today (Preservation South Carolina)

Robert Schmitt appreciates the craftsmanship and materials that went into mid-19^th century homes across the Piedmont region of South Carolina. For years, as a restoration expert, he’s rolled up his sleeves and touched the results of what workers created generations ago.

Schmitt, 74, sank a lot of money, passion and knowledge into restoring the stately Nathaniel Gist Jr. house outside of Union (Gist was first cousin of Confederate Brig. Gen. States Rights Gist).

Now Schmitt is helping repair windows at Union’s Dawkins House, a residence at the center of an interesting chapter in Civil War history. Union briefly served as the capital of the state after Columbia fell to Union forces in 1865.

The nonprofit Preservation South Carolina is working with partners to restore the dilapidated dwelling into an alumni and corporate events center for the University of South Carolina-Union.

Schmitt is removing old glazing and replacing any rot (Preservation South Carolina)

Schmitt is taking out old window glass, removing rot and replacing weathered glazing.

“These old windows were put together with mortise and pins and wooden pegs. That makes them reasonably easy to work on,” he said in a recent interview. “I like to preserve as much as the original as I can.”

Not surprisingly, the windows are much more substantial than modern ones.

“Part of that reason is the material they were made of. You can’t get that type of lumber anymore,” said Schmitt, adding the old yellow pine was heavy because of high rosin content.

Schmitt is working in the house’s yard in a “between” stage of the Judge Thomas Dawkins house restoration. The $300,000 state-funded Phase 1 shored up the building.

This fall, Preservation South Carolina (PSC) and the campus will launch a campaign to raise up to $1 million for the next phase. No state or federal funds are currently available, officials said. “Credible interest has already been expressed by potential corporate sponsors to participate in the funding,” said PSC.

Bill Comer, a Union native and head of the PSC’s Dawkins House rehab project, said Schmitt is taking good care of the windows, which have Roman numerals (right) that the original carpenters used to number each sash.

“He thinks about all the people who have looked through that pane,” Comer said of Schmitt.

'Putting the bones back in' deteriorated house

PSC just featured an update on the project in its September newsletter, sharing a rendering of what the property will look like after restoration is complete. Those stopping by the house -- purchased by PSC in 2023 -- will note there is a long way to go, with support beams in place and the roof sagging. Hurricane Helene in September 2024 caused further damage.

Phase 2 will be much more extensive and expensive, enabling PSC to hand over the house to the university for finishing and customization. Joanna Rothell, director of outreach and preservation for PSC, said Phase 2 will include:

-- Installation of new piers on concrete footings in the crawlspace;

-- Strengthening of porch, first and second floor framings, the roof system and all walls;

-- Installation of the required framing for a new interior staircase where the original historic, spiral staircase was located in the central hall. This will entail strengthening the floors and walls in this area, including any necessary new footings in the crawlspace.

“We are putting the bones back in it where the bones should be,” said Comer.

Interestingly, the Gist home (left) where Schmitt lives features a floating spiral staircase similar to what once was present in the Dawkins House. “I can’t help believe but the same craftsmen were involved,” Schmitt said.

PSC said It will measure the Gist staircase for creating construction drawings.

When Judge Dawkins built his residence in 1845, he expanded upon a pre-existing, two-story structure,” the organization said in its newsletter.

“Further examination has revealed that the materials used in the construction of the older portion of the house dates closer to 1760, rather than the previously estimated 1800s.”

Governor had to run to keep from hiding

The Dawkins House, on North Church Street, was nicknamed “The Shrubs” and was occupied by Judge Dawkins and his English-born wife Mary Poulton Dawkins. The 1850 Federal slave schedule indicates they owned about 30 enslaved persons before the war. 

The property is best known for several weeks in spring 1865.

Gov. Andrew Magrath, before fleeing Columbia as Federal troops closed in, got in touch with college chum Dawkins about using the home and others nearby to conduct business amid the chaos.

South Carolina already was the symbol of the South’s rebellion. Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman and his troops entered the state from Georgia with an eye on a full prosecution of the war. While they are behind some fires that ravaged Columbia, others were caused by other parties.

Union was a community with a small business district and nearby plantations.

From about Feb. 15, 1865, until sometime in March or early April, Magrath ran the state from the Dawkins House. He apparently worked in an informal library near the drawing room. Chaos ruled across South Carolina.

According to histories and local legend, Magrath and his subordinates burned possibly incriminating documents and correspondence in the fireplaces. (The building served as South Carolina's capitol while the city was briefly is capital.) Magrath and his staff raced away from Union as Federal troops moved in. He was eventually captured on May 25 and imprisoned at Fort Pulaski near Savannah, Ga., until release that December.

Comer said Magrath’s stint in Union is not well-known or covered in textbooks.

“Also, per a University of South Carolina Southern studies professor with whom I spoke recently, not many documents exist about that period … which I suspect is because most government documents were burned in the house’s eight fireplaces to avoid the identification of Confederate operatives who would be captured and tried for treason.”

Looking to Wofford for inspiration

Annie Smith, USC-Union marketing and development director, previously told the Picket an alumni association was being established to enhance recruiting efforts, develop a community between current, former and future students, and to provide outside funding and resources.

The small campus with about 1,400 students this year is celebrating its 60^th anniversary.

Given the age of the Dawkins House and wear, any college or community events will need to occur on the main floor. The upstairs won’t be able to handle large crowds, so it likely will be office space, according to PSC.

Looking for ideas and inspiration, a team of campus officials in July toured the alumni house (left) at Wofford College in nearby Spartanburg. The Kilgo-Clinkscales House previously was a dwelling for campus leaders at Wofford.

“The Wofford Alumni house was stunning and (has a) very similar layout to Dawkins,” said Smith. “The visit gave us a helpful look at how another institution transformed a historic residence into a vibrant and usable location. We came away with great ideas about how our space can serve multiple purposes -- welcoming alumni, community events, space for corporations to meet and more.”

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park expands by 21 acres with the help of the Trust for Public Land and the National Park Foundation

Kennesaw and Little Kennesaw mountain rise behind the 21 acres (TPL)

A 21.4-acre tract on which Union troops advanced upon Little Kennesaw Mountain has been added to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, a victory amid the continued threat of residential development, the Trust for Public Land says.

The national nonprofit recently announced it had closed on the property that belonged to the Hensley family of Marietta, Ga., which previously sold 34 acres to the National Park Service in 2008.

George Dusenbury, Georgia director for the TPL, said the NPS paid the fair market value of $2.58 million using funds from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The parcel is north of Burnt Hickory Road.

“TPL worked in partnership with NPS to complete the necessary property due diligence and secure the federal funding needed for the acquisition,” he told the Picket.

The property is largely meadow with some woods. A stream that flows through the property was dammed in the 1950s to form a small pond; it will remain as a fire suppression resource. The property is surrounded on three sides by land already owned by the NPS.

The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain occurred on June, 27, 1864.

Union troops that moved through the parcel were part of the extreme left of Logan’s XV Corps, said Ray Hamel, park ranger and chief of interpretation at Kennesaw Mountain. Troops serving under brigadier generals Harrow, Williams and Fuller and the 64^th Illinois skirmish line were among those present. (See Logan's, Harrow's and others' names at left, map courtesy American Battlefield Trust)

“Troops here did not take part in the assault on Pigeon Hill,” said Hamel. “Confederate defenses were east of the property. Nearest was a skirmish line of the 9^th Texas."

The TPL said “The newly acquired property, now under National Park Service ownership, safeguards not only the rural, open character of the area but also any Civil War-related archaeological resources that may lie beneath its surface."

The park said the acquisition "furthers the preservation of historically significant sections of the original battlefield from modern development."

The Picket reached out to the Hensley family for comment but has not yet received answers to questions about the transaction.

The National Park Foundation provided funding to assist with associated costs, such as the demolition of an old barn, said Dusenbury.

The park -- the most-heavily visited national battlefield in the country -- recently commemorated the 161^st anniversary of the Atlanta Campaign battle in Cobb County.

Click to enlarge to see details of newly acquired tract in orange; park boundaries in green (TPL)

Charlie Crawford, president emeritus of the Georgia Battlefields Association, told the Picket, “We appreciate landowners who are committed to preservation and will wait on the slow federal government process for acquiring additional land for the National Park Service.”

The TPL said is goal is to help create a cohesive park that “supports public exploration and learning.”

“This acquisition isn’t just about adding acreage -- it’s about preventing the fragmentation of this irreplaceable landscape and keeping it from being lost to suburban development,” Dusenbury said in the announcement.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield spans 2,923 acres, including three battlefield areas and 11 miles of preserved Civil War earthworks.

The TPL said its land additions to the park include:

Early 2000s: Approximately 50 acres to expand park access and continuity.

2008: Acquisition of 34 acres from the Hensley family, featuring forests, fields and a lake.

2013: Addition of the 42-acre Hays farm, home to Nodine’s Hill, with remnant Union entrenchments, rifle pits and cannon placements.

Another view of the 21 acres recently added to the NPS park (TPL)

Sam Hensley, a former Georgia legislator, once owned the land involved in both family transactions. The property includes trenches built by Federal Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces in June 1864.

“Our parents never let us forget that we stand on hallowed ground. They always told us that it was never going to be developed and that we would never see rooftops on this property,” said Sam Hensley Jr. during a ceremony in 2008 concerning the 34 acres. (Sam's brother Shuler is a notable Tony Award-winning actor and singer.)

“That became a very difficult thing to accomplish over the years. There was not a week that went by that my father did not have an unsolicited call from a developer or somebody that wanted to build a subdivision out here.”

Sherman the soldier is back as the heart of an Ohio community. A replica of the granite monument smashed by a big rig in 2022 is set in place for the long haul

Statue at studio in Vermilion and monument installation in LaGrange (Courtesy Cleveland Quarries)

Sherman the flag bearer is again standing tall above the traffic circle in LaGrange, Ohio.

Nearly three years after a tractor trailer smashed the granite Civil War monument, workers installed a replacement Wednesday in time for Memorial Day and a founding celebration for the small community near Cleveland.

“Our community is almost whole. It’s wonderful to see him standing there again,” said LaGrange Township trustee Rita Canfield in a Friday email.

Zachary Carpenter, president of Cleveland Quarries in Vermilion, said the entire process of making the replica monument has gone more smoothly than expected. (At left, Sherman back in place)

“We are all very proud of the work completed and it means a lot to me personally to have been involved in something so historically significant to the area – especially knowing (hoping) that Sherman will be standing in LaGrange for another 100 years.”

While master stone carver Nicholas Fairplay fashioned the statue of the resolute soldier, Carpenter’s company made and finished the blocks below his feet. That includes the names of LaGrange area residents who served during the war, and mentions of a few battles and of Union generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan and George Thomas.

“The whole structure is almost 40,000 pounds,” said Carpenter, adding the soldier himself may weigh up to two tons.

So why is the soldier known around the community as Sherman? Yes, the general with that name is from Ohio. But the real reason is because of the four generals represented on the monument, Sherman's name is the one beneath the front of the statue.

Officials in LaGrange were determined to replace the 1903-04 memorial obliterated in June 2022. The monument, which was made up of several pieces, topped by the Union soldier, was shattered by the truck. Even his head was broken off.

The farm community determined the damage was too severe for a repair. After finalizing a $923,244 settlement with the trucking company’s insurance company, LaGrange Township hired Fairplay and Carpenter's company.

Pieces of the monument before assembly this week (LaGrange Township)

They worked from the original statue -- painstakingly glued together by Fairplay and an assistant to use as a template for the new one. He worked in a studio at Cleveland Quarries, which milled the raw form of the replacement statue at its operation in Vermilion.

The return of the fixture at the intersection of routes 301 and 303 (Main Street) coincides with the 200^th anniversary of the township and the 150^th for the village. (They are separate political entities. The monument is owned by the township and is the center point of the village.). 

Joint events on May 24-26 include a car show, pancake breakfast, 5K run, carnival, parade and the statue unveiling on Memorial Day. Members of the LaGrange Historical Society will be present all three days. (More details here)

The original statue was shattered into dozens of pieces, including its head (LaGrange Township)

Canfield said Friday caulking and grout work on the stone will be completed soon.

“The remaining work to be done to the site will be completed after Memorial Day. Due to the weather and the Founder Event planned, we are leaving the existing sidewalk until after Memorial Day weekend," the township official said. "The sprinkler system, grass, general landscaping, lighting and flag pole will wait until the heavy work is done.”

Mayor Gary Kincannon of LaGrange Village told the Picket he was pleased with the return of Sherman, the literal center point of town.

“I grew up in town and used to sit on the statue from 8-9 years old until high school. Something was definitely missing, but back now.”

Following Memorial Day parade, a Ohio community near Cleveland will dedicate a replacement for its Civil War statue shattered by a big rig in 2022

The new monument is at left in first photo, right in second image (Photos courtesy N. Fairplay)

Nearly three years after a tractor trailer slammed into a Civil War monument in northern Ohio, knocking it to pieces, a replica will be unveiled on Memorial Day, a symbol of community pride in veterans and their sacrifice.

Officials in LaGrange were determined to replace the 1903 granite memorial that was obliterated in June 2022. The monument, which was made up of several pieces, topped by a Union soldier, was shattered. Even his head was broken off.

The metro Cleveland and farm community determined the damage was too severe for a repair.

After finalizing a $923,244 settlement with the trucking company’s insurance company, LaGrange Township hired master carver Nicholas Fairplay and Cleveland Quarries to make new versions of the statue and other parts of the monument in the downtown square.

They worked from the original statue -- painstakingly glued together by Fairplay and an assistant to use as a template for the new one. He worked in a studio at Cleveland Quarries, which milled the raw form of the replacement statue at its operation in Vermilion.

The piece was shattered into dozens of pieces, including its head (Photos LaGrange Township)

Fairplay told the Picket he expects to have the work completed late this week. He provided a few photos showing results of the detail work he and the assistant performed.

“The space between the legs and hand are now pierced. We are now working on the surface detail,” he said. Of one photo he sent, the carver said, “You can see red pencil marks showing where we have to carve deeper shadow.”

LaGrange Township trustee Rita Canfield said the plan is to have the so-called Sherman statue installed the week of May 12. The soldier's figure will be covered until Memorial Day (May 26).

Return of the fixture at the intersection of routes 301 and 303 (Main Street) coincides with the 200^th anniversary of the township and the 150^th for the village. (They are separate political entities).

Joint events on May 24-26 include a car show, pancake breakfast, 5K run, carnival, parade and the statue unveiling on Memorial Day. Members of the LaGrange Historical Society will be present all three days. (More details here)

Faint red marks on new statue (left) show areas needing refining (Photo courtesy N. Fairplay)

“We hope to have a good turnout and will be hosting fireworks and other events as part of the return celebration and the founding of the community at the same time,” said Canfield.

Below the statue is the monument base, which carried the names of LaGrange area residents who served during the war, the names of a few battles and of Union generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan and George Thomas. Cleveland Quarries replaced all of the pieces comprising the base.

“I must say that Nick has done a fabulous job,” said Canfield. “His work has been impeccable. Cleveland Quarries owner Zach Carpenter and his team have given us our heritage back. They have been the type of partner that we all want to work with: Transparent, honest, fair and very highly skilled with an insane attention to detail in their recreation of our monument.”

He has stood tall for more than 120 years

To say the Sherman statue, as locals call it, is vital to the area’s identity might be an understatement. It sits smack dab in the middle of the community, which has about 2,500 residents.

The memorial, made of Vermont granite, was erected in 1903 (some sources say 1904) for about $3,000. The project was a joint project of LaGrange Village and LaGrange Township, a separate political entity. They are in Lorain County.

The monument is owned by the township and is the center point of the village. (At left, the monument before its destruction, photo LaGrange Township)

The township was determined the new Sherman is faithful to the old one in every way, from the pose and flag of the Federal soldier to the stacked blocks below him that feature battles and the names of area men who served and died in the war.

After the traffic accident, officials ensured that virtually every piece, down to chips, of the monument were stored so they could serve as a guide for the replica.

Fairplay describes the soldier as having undersized feet and hands. “I think his legs are a little shorter for this height.”

“He is carved quite simple but (is) a heroic, nostalgic statue. It is not a Greek or Roman statue emphasizing portraiture.” The work will include the U.S. flag leaning out and a tree stump next to the right leg. “Most have tree stumps or drapery because the weight of the statue will not be (supported) by the ankles,” said Fairplay.

I asked him why the new statue is lighter than the original.

“The original statue is darker due to pollution on the surface which could be cleaned off. You could see the original color of the granite when the statue was in pieces.” By that, he means granite below the surface was not discolored and when the memorial was broken, you could see the difference (photo below).

Safeguarding the soldier's future

Canfield said the insurance settlement will fund the monument, a new flagpole, lights and other infrastructure on the circle. 

Truckers often use Route 301 through town. A series of crashes, culminating with the loss of the soldier, prompted officials to place bright yellow metal poles – known as bollards – to warn motorists of the vulnerable circle.

In the 2022 incident, an incident report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol said the driver told a responding officer that he fell asleep and went through a stop sign. The driver was not found to be impaired.

Cleveland Quarries is donating large sandstone blocks to replace the bollards.

“We are pretty confident if someone fails to stop, if they hit the couple tons they will come to a stop,” Canfield said in a bit of understatement.

The Sherman statue suffered another indignity 65 years ago, according to a Lorain County nostalgia blog. A newspaper article in November 1957 said pranksters tarred and feathered the base.

So what will happen to the original monument after Memorial Day?

“At this time, the … old statue of Sherman will be placed in the old Society Hall/fire station. The remaining base pieces will be placed in the cemetery,” said Canfield. “The epoxy used to glue the statue back together will not tolerate the weather and would degrade over time.”

One of the Civil War campaigns being noted in the new monument (Cleveland Quarries)