Eternal Light Peace Memorial
Encyclopedia
The Eternal Light
Peace Memorial
is a 1938 Gettysburg Battlefield
monument commemorating the 1913 "reconciliation of our people North and South after the lapse of only 50 years since they had fought" in the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg
. The natural gas flame in a 1 ton bronze urn is atop a tower on a stone pedestrian terrace with views from the terraced hill summit over about 400 sq mi (1,036 km²), and the flame is visible from 20 mi (32.2 km) away.
, Col. Cowan
and others" advocated a "grand monument to American Heroism on this battlefield", and President William McKinley
spoke to Cowan about North/South peace]] in 1900. The "first tentative programme" of October 1910 for the 1913 Gettysburg reunion planned a "Peace Jubilee" to be held on "National Day" with an oration by President Woodrow Wilson
and the cornerstone placement for the "Great Peace Memorial" at noon. However, after being "presented, January 11th, 1912, to the Joint Committee of the Congress [for] the Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg", funding was "found, in March 1912, impossible of accomplishment in the 62nd Congress
". Instead of the laying of a cornerstone, on July 3 during the New York Veterans' Celebration in the 1913 Great Tent, Colonel Andrew Cowan gave a speech advocating the memorial, and "steps to accomplish such purpose were immediately taken … which resulted in the Gettysburg Peace Memorial Association being formed. … That Association's Bill was, on December 20th, 1913, presented to Congress…creating the Gettysburg Memorial Commission."
The original plan was for a $250,000 "monument of peace" at The Angle
, but despite 1914 "Peace Memorial Bill" presentations to the US House of Representatives
that compared the planned memorial with "the Christ in the Andes
" and the Lincoln Memorial
, federal funding remained "postponed". In August 1936, the memorial's commission issued 10,000 four page circulars to publicize the plan,http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=S4klAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ufIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1390,4113087&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en and Virginia in 1936 was the first to appropriate funds. In 1937 the Pennsylvania legislature began planning a peace memorial on Big Round Top
, and the state's "Peace Memorial Bill" was signed on February 24, 1937, to appropriate $5,000 for the state's "Gettysburg Peace Memorial fund". The peace memorial committee selected from the 6 designs by August 1937http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FCgzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bQAGAAAAIBAJ&pg=5876,2935238&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en and on December 10, 1937, Lee Lawrie
was announced as the sculptor for the structure "overlooking Big Round Top
[and] Little Round Top
". With additional funding by New York, Indiana, Tennessee, Illinois, and Wisconsin;http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qyAhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hmQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6159,1580196&dq=virginia+peace-memorial&hl=en the $60,000 monument was instead completed northwest of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
. Groundbreaking was on February 14,http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=loklAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ufIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1104,2001508&dq=1938+gettysburg+fireworks&hl=en and the last foot of piping for the flame's gas supply was placed on May 31.
was 250,000 (100,000 were "stuck on automobile-packed highways".)
A program from the dedication is in the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center
and on September 23, 1938, a World's Fair
time capsule with a "permanent acetate film by RKO-Pathé
" (15 minute newsreel) with part of Roosevelt's address was lowered into a 50 ft well. On December 25, 1941, the flame was reduced to a pilot light during World War II
,http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0817FE3D5B1A738DDDAF0A94DA415B8188F1D3 and just prior to the 1946 Paris peace conference
, President Truman commented about the inscribed motto, Peace Eternal in a Nation United: "That is what we want, but let's change that word (nation) to world and we'll have something."http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RXglAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BfMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4015,1093790&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en The deteriorated Alabama limestone in the lower section that had been approved for use by the Bureau of Standardshttp://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FShUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NDoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6799,5579197&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en was replaced with gray granite in June 1941,http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MIslAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wPIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2544,3900338&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en and repairs were also made in 1950.http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kp4lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zPQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6027%2C6228400 A 1962 protest against nuclear arms and testing was held at the memorial,http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=99ZdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tl4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=6282,374633&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en and the flame was extinguished in 1974 for the oil crisis
after the 93rd United States Congress
prohibited such flames (except for the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame
),http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TgUmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8fwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3601,4522859&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en and the extinguished gas flame was replaced by an electrical light in 1976.http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CxgmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=H_0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2757,126498&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en A Gettysburg Peace Celebration Committee had been formed by June 1988, and the gas flame was restored at their Fiftieth Anniversary Rededication on July 3.
Eternal flame
An eternal flame is a flame or torch that burns day and night for an indefinite period. The flame that burned constantly at Delphi was an archaic feature, "alien to the ordinary Greek temple"....
Peace Memorial
Peace Monument
The Peace Monument, also known as the Naval Monument or Civil War Sailors Monument, stands on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Peace Circle at First Street, N.W., and Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. The 44 foot high white marble memorial was erected in 1877-1878 to commemorate...
is a 1938 Gettysburg Battlefield
Gettysburg Battlefield
The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the 4 acre site of the first shot & at on the west of the borough, to East...
monument commemorating the 1913 "reconciliation of our people North and South after the lapse of only 50 years since they had fought" in the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
. The natural gas flame in a 1 ton bronze urn is atop a tower on a stone pedestrian terrace with views from the terraced hill summit over about 400 sq mi (1,036 km²), and the flame is visible from 20 mi (32.2 km) away.
History
In 1887, "the Philadelphia BrigadePhiladelphia Brigade
The Philadelphia Brigade was a Union Army brigade that served in the American Civil War. It was raised primarily in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the exception of the 106th regiment which contained men from Lycoming and Bradford counties.The brigade fought with the Army of the...
, Col. Cowan
Andrew Cowan (artillerist)
Andrew Cowan served as a Union artillerist in the American Civil War. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Gettysburg and the Battle of Sayler's Creek.-Pre-War:...
and others" advocated a "grand monument to American Heroism on this battlefield", and President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
spoke to Cowan about North/South peace]] in 1900. The "first tentative programme" of October 1910 for the 1913 Gettysburg reunion planned a "Peace Jubilee" to be held on "National Day" with an oration by President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
and the cornerstone placement for the "Great Peace Memorial" at noon. However, after being "presented, January 11th, 1912, to the Joint Committee of the Congress [for] the Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg", funding was "found, in March 1912, impossible of accomplishment in the 62nd Congress
62nd United States Congress
- House of Representatives :* Democratic : 230 * Republican : 162* Socialist : 1* Independent : 1TOTAL members: 394-Senate:* President: James S...
". Instead of the laying of a cornerstone, on July 3 during the New York Veterans' Celebration in the 1913 Great Tent, Colonel Andrew Cowan gave a speech advocating the memorial, and "steps to accomplish such purpose were immediately taken … which resulted in the Gettysburg Peace Memorial Association being formed. … That Association's Bill was, on December 20th, 1913, presented to Congress…creating the Gettysburg Memorial Commission."
The original plan was for a $250,000 "monument of peace" at The Angle
The Angle
The Angle is a Gettysburg Battlefield area which includes the 1863 Copse of Trees used as the target landmark for Pickett's Charge, the 1892 monument that marks the high-water mark of the Confederacy, and several other Battle of Gettysburg monuments...
, but despite 1914 "Peace Memorial Bill" presentations to the US House of Representatives
63rd United States Congress
- House of Representatives:*Democratic : 291 *Republican : 134*Progressive : 9*Independent : 1TOTAL members: 435-Senate:*President of the Senate: Thomas R. Marshall*President pro tempore: James P. Clarke-Senate:...
that compared the planned memorial with "the Christ in the Andes
Christ the Redeemer of the Andes
Christ the Redeemer of the Andes is a monument high in the Andes at 3,832 metres above mean sea level on the border between Argentina and Chile...
" and the Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...
, federal funding remained "postponed". In August 1936, the memorial's commission issued 10,000 four page circulars to publicize the plan,http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=S4klAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ufIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1390,4113087&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en and Virginia in 1936 was the first to appropriate funds. In 1937 the Pennsylvania legislature began planning a peace memorial on Big Round Top
Big Round Top Observation Tower Foundation Ruin
The Big Round Top Observation Tower Foundation Ruin is the 19th century base of the 1st Cope Truss tower. Fred Lyons of Baltimore led the construction team that moved the foundation's granite blocks to the Big Round Top summit using block and tackle driven by a 12 horsepower...
, and the state's "Peace Memorial Bill" was signed on February 24, 1937, to appropriate $5,000 for the state's "Gettysburg Peace Memorial fund". The peace memorial committee selected from the 6 designs by August 1937http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FCgzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bQAGAAAAIBAJ&pg=5876,2935238&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en and on December 10, 1937, Lee Lawrie
Lee Lawrie
Lee Oscar Lawrie was one of the United States' foremost architectural sculptors and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II...
was announced as the sculptor for the structure "overlooking Big Round Top
Big Round Top
Big Round Top is a boulder-strewn hill notable as the topographic high point of the Gettysburg Battlefield and for 1863 American Civil War engagements for which Medals of Honor were awarded...
[and] Little Round Top
Little Round Top
Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg....
". With additional funding by New York, Indiana, Tennessee, Illinois, and Wisconsin;http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qyAhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hmQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6159,1580196&dq=virginia+peace-memorial&hl=en the $60,000 monument was instead completed northwest of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
. Groundbreaking was on February 14,http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=loklAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ufIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1104,2001508&dq=1938+gettysburg+fireworks&hl=en and the last foot of piping for the flame's gas supply was placed on May 31.
Dedication
Attendance for the memorial's dedication at the 1938 Gettysburg reunion1938 Gettysburg reunion
The 1938 Gettysburg reunion was a Gettysburg Battlefield encampment of American Civil War veterans for the Battle of Gettysburg's 75th anniversary. The gathering included approximately 25 Gettysburg battle veterans and had totals of 1,359 Federal and 486 Confederate attendees of the 8,000...
was 250,000 (100,000 were "stuck on automobile-packed highways".)
- President Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
arrived at a temporary platform on his special train via the Reading RRReading CompanyThe Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
from the North after leaving Springwood at Hyde Park NYHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic SiteThe Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site preserves the Springwood estate in Hyde Park, New York, United States of America. Springwood was the birthplace, lifelong home, and burial place of the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt...
that morning. - The U.S. 3d Cavalry3rd Cavalry Division (United States)The United States Army's 3rd Cavalry Division was created from the perceived need for additional cavalry units in the interwar period.The 3rd Cavalry Division was largely a "paper" formation existing from 1927 to 1940. Its units were never assembled in a single location. The 3rd Cavalry Division...
escorted the President's motorcade to the memorial on Oak HillOak Ridge, Adams County, PennsylvaniaOak Ridge is the landform of the Gettysburg Battlefield where the Eternal Light Peace Memorial was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 1938 Gettysburg reunion. 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Whitworth rifled cannon fired from Oak Hill at Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. The ridge...
, and Roosevelt's open car arrived with a 21 gun salute. - Roosevelt used "a new Mobile sound system unit" to address the audience,http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=B7QhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6psFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3982,4979085&dq=1938+roosevelt+gettysburg&hl=en including the veterans on specially-constructed grandstands under a canopy.
- As Roosevelt's address of 9 minutes ended at sunset, the Peace Memorial covered by a 50 foot flag was unveiled by George N. Lockwood and Confederate A. G. Harris (both age 91)http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=js5PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wFQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2350,6460294&dq=1938+roosevelt+gettysburg&hl=en with 2 regular army attendants ( a photocell automatically lit the flame).
- GARGrand Army of the RepublicThe Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...
chaplain Martin V. Stone ended the ceremony with a benediction prayer, and on the way to his car Roosevelt spoke with the oldest attending veteran, William Barnes of the US Colored Troops1st Regiment Tennessee Heavy Artillery (African Descent)The 1st Regiment Tennessee Heavy Artillery was an artillery regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...
, age 112.http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0wQnAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SAMGAAAAIBAJ&pg=5897,4179813&dq=1938+roosevelt+gettysburg&hl=en - A Sixth Field Artillery6th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)The 6th Field Artillery Regiment is an Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1907-History:The 6th Field Artillery Regiment was first activated in 1907 from numbered companies of artillery...
battery "from under the shoulder of Oak Hill" fired a 21 gun salute as the President departed at 7 p.m. (his train to Washington used the Western Maryland Railroad.)
A program from the dedication is in the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center
Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center
The Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center is the Gettysburg National Military Park facility which displays the 1884 Gettysburg Cyclorama and provides the tour center for Licensed Battlefield Guides and buses to the Gettysburg Battlefield and Eisenhower National Historic Site. The museum displays...
and on September 23, 1938, a World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
time capsule with a "permanent acetate film by RKO-Pathé
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
" (15 minute newsreel) with part of Roosevelt's address was lowered into a 50 ft well. On December 25, 1941, the flame was reduced to a pilot light during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
,http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0817FE3D5B1A738DDDAF0A94DA415B8188F1D3 and just prior to the 1946 Paris peace conference
Paris Peace Treaties, 1947
The Paris Peace Conference resulted in the Paris Peace Treaties signed on February 10, 1947. The victorious wartime Allied powers negotiated the details of treaties with Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Finland .The...
, President Truman commented about the inscribed motto, Peace Eternal in a Nation United: "That is what we want, but let's change that word (nation) to world and we'll have something."http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RXglAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BfMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4015,1093790&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en The deteriorated Alabama limestone in the lower section that had been approved for use by the Bureau of Standardshttp://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FShUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NDoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6799,5579197&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en was replaced with gray granite in June 1941,http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MIslAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wPIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2544,3900338&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en and repairs were also made in 1950.http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kp4lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zPQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6027%2C6228400 A 1962 protest against nuclear arms and testing was held at the memorial,http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=99ZdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tl4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=6282,374633&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en and the flame was extinguished in 1974 for the oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
after the 93rd United States Congress
93rd United States Congress
The Ninety-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1973 to January 3, 1975, during the end of Richard...
prohibited such flames (except for the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame
John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame
The John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame is a presidential memorial at the gravesite of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, in Arlington National Cemetery. The permanent site replaced a temporary grave and eternal flame used during President Kennedy's funeral on November 25, 1963. The site was designed by...
),http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TgUmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8fwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3601,4522859&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en and the extinguished gas flame was replaced by an electrical light in 1976.http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CxgmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=H_0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2757,126498&dq=gettysburg+peace-memorial&hl=en A Gettysburg Peace Celebration Committee had been formed by June 1988, and the gas flame was restored at their Fiftieth Anniversary Rededication on July 3.