Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Cleveland OH. It was cold..

Mrs. V

1st Lieutenant
Joined
May 5, 2017
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Saturday April 21, 2018. The Monument was giving it’s once a yearly tour of the catacombs that lie under the monument. They are an integral part of the support structure for the Monument. These underground arches work in the same way that vaulted arches work in a cathedral. My son was granted permission to come in his newly acquired Civil War garb, and to play his violin and mandolin to keep the crowd entertained as they waited in line. The anticipated number of guests was 1000. (Topped that number by 500). He asked me if I would come along and help out. I’m glad I did, we had more than 600 people tour the monument itself, who did not take the tunnel tour.

I took some photos, and I thought I would share them with you.
 
What a beautiful monument! Thank you so much for the tour. Hard to believe they only open it once a year to the public which is a shame that only a few get a chance to see the inside.

Congratulations on your son's musical skills of which I am sure you are so proud of especially when he shared them with the public.
Regards
David
 
Thanks for sharing! And thanks to you, your son and others who contributed to the success of this event. I am happy to see such turnout!
 
What a beautiful monument! Thank you so much for the tour. Hard to believe they only open it once a year to the public which is a shame that only a few get a chance to see the inside.

Congratulations on your son's musical skills of which I am sure you are so proud of especially when he shared them with the public.
Regards
David
The actual interior of the monument is open all year long. The basement is only opened once a year!
 
OK, what is in the basement? Any more photos?
Regards
David
 
OK, what is in the basement? Any more photos?
Regards
David
That’s the only photos I have at this time. I was absolutely run off my feet yesterday! The basement is a set of concentric circles that form the foundation for the monument. They are arched tunnels. You can see them on youtube...I think I heard that the Monument weighs 540 tons? Something like that. Granite, Marble, Bronzes...Heavy for sure!
 
Looks like you and your son had a great day together, thanks for sharing the pictures
We really did! This is the first time the monument has had interns for a season, so very virgin territory. Most of the guests we talked to enjoyed having us in period dress. I’m sure there a zillion photos out there of us. I know I had plenty of pics with the people in line.
 
Thanks for sharing! And thanks to you, your son and others who contributed to the success of this event. I am happy to see such turnout!
It was pretty amazing to see people waiting in line for 2 hours. This is the first time they have had costumed presenters, as well as a musician. I can tell you that the guests were absolutely complimentary, every time he played, and the one time I sang in the Monument. (Johnny has gone for a Soldier). Marble walls have the best acoustics!
 
Thanks for sharing your awesome pictures. Looks like a great monument to go see sometime. And a great turnout for another cold spring day. Congratulations!
 
Thanks for sharing your awesome pictures. Looks like a great monument to go see sometime. And a great turnout for another cold spring day. Congratulations!

Thanks, I think the final count with all the visitors was around 2400..tour and general Monument viewing. Definitely a hidden gem here!

I was in the monument before the renovation a few years ago. Very dark, a past “cleaning” removed all the paint from the marble! Now it has been restored to it’s former splendor. A very transformed place.
 
The names on the wall are all acid etched into the stone. 9,000 men from Cuyahoga county who fought in the war. We lost about 1.100 men from that number. I also found out that the bronze relief of the Women’s Aid/Sanitary Commission was one of the first to acknowledge the contribution of women in the Civil War..so cool..One subject that I could speak to, when asked by visitors..
 
Excellent photos and I'll bet a wonderful experience for all!

Thank you for posting them and this thread.

Sincerely,
Unionblue
While the exterior statuary is quite amazing, I found the bronze reliefs to be very moving. I will definitely be going again.
 
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