Celebrate Gettysburg March/April 2011 : Page 22

civil war journal l Eternal Light Peace Memorial At Gettysburg By Jim M artin Located on Oak Hill overlooking the Gettysburg National Military Park is the nation’s premier monument to national reconciliation after the Civil War—the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. On the same location 25 years earlier in 1913, on the 50 th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Woodrow Wilson, the first elected southern president since Zachary Taylor, declared “the quarrel forgotten.” Thousands of Civil War veterans shook hands at the High Water Mark for cameras and tourists. The message seemed to confirm the widespread notion— the grievances and animosity were healed in a wave of nationalism sweeping the United States. At the 1913 reunion of the veterans, there were calls for a monument to be built at Gettysburg to reconcile the country. Twenty-five years later, President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the Eternal Light Peace Memorial on July 3, 1938, the 75 th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. More than 1,800 Civil War veterans were among the 250,000 people attending the dedication ceremonies. Designed by the classically trained French-American Paul Philippe Cret (1876-1945), world famous architect, educator and sculptor, the Eternal Light Peace Memorial has three main features. The dark colored stone base is constructed of Maine granite. On this base is the memorial’s ringing message to posterity: “Peace Eternal in a Nation United.” Above the base is a lighter colored 40-foot-high rectangular shaft composed of Alabama Rockwood limestone. Located on the shaft are two female figures supporting each other, representing North and South. The female figure is accompanied by an eagle, representing the American nation. On one side of the shaft are Abraham Lincoln’s optimistic but cautionary phrase: “With firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right.” On the opposite side another inscription reads: “An enduring light to guide us in unity and fellowship.” The “enduring light” atop the shaft is a gas-fed flame set in an urn to symbolize the eternal union and everlasting peace. Federal officials extinguished the “eternal flame” briefly during the energy crisis of the 1970s. A sodium vapor lamp was installed in 1978. During the 1980s, the gas flame was restored. The Eternal Light Peace Memorial cost $50,000, with funds provided by New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Virginia and Tennessee. Cret, the memorial’s designer, is best known for the National Memorial Arch at Valley Forge National Park, the design of the University of Texas Austin campus, the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia, and the Organization of the American States Building in Washington, D.C. As the 150 th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg approaches, make a trip to the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. Just for a minute or so, contemplate how the same men who, for four years, tried to kill each other within their lifetimes later pledged “peace eternal in a nation united.” That’s a pledge worthy of remembrance and perhaps our emulation. G c Jim Martin serves as a licensed battlefield guide at Gettysburg. These guides are independent contractors licensed and supervised by the National Park Service as historical interpreters of the Battle of Gettysburg. To book a battlefield tour, call the Gettysburg Foundation at 877-874-2478 or 717-334-2436. 22

Civil War Journal

Jim Martin

Eternal Light Peace Memorial At Gettysburg Located on Oak Hill overlooking the Gettysburg National Military Park is the nation’s premier monument to national reconciliation after the Civil War—the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. On the same location 25 years earlier in 1913, on the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Woodrow Wilson, the first elected southern president since Zachary Taylor, declared “the quarrel forgotten.” Thousands of Civil War veterans shook hands at the High Water Mark for cameras and tourists. The message seemed to confirm the widespread notion— the grievances and animosity were healed in a wave of nationalism sweeping the United States. At the 1913 reunion of the veterans, there were calls for a monument to be built at Gettysburg to reconcile the country. Twenty-five years later, President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the Eternal Light Peace Memorial on July 3, 1938, the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.More than 1,800 Civil War veterans were among the 250,000 people attending the dedication ceremonies. Designed by the classically trained French-American Paul Philippe Cret (1876-1945) , world famous architect, educator and sculptor, the Eternal Light Peace Memorial has three main features. The dark colored stone base is constructed of Maine granite.On this base is the memorial’s ringing message to posterity: “Peace Eternal in a Nation United.” Above the base is a lighter colored 40-foot-high rectangular shaft composed of Alabama Rockwood limestone. Located on the shaft are two female figures supporting each other, representing North and South.The female figure is accompanied by an eagle, representing the American nation. On one side of the shaft are Abraham Lincoln’s optimistic but cautionary phrase: “With firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right.” On the opposite side another inscription reads: “An enduring light to guide us in unity and fellowship.” The “enduring light” atop the shaft is a gas-fed flame set in an urn to symbolize the eternal union and everlasting peace. Federal officials extinguished the “eternal flame” briefly during the energy crisis of the 1970s.A sodium vapor lamp was installed in 1978. During the 1980s, the gas flame was restored. The Eternal Light Peace Memorial cost $50,000, with funds provided by New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Virginia and Tennessee.Cret, the memorial’s designer, is best known for the National Memorial Arch at Valley Forge National Park, the design of the University of Texas Austin campus, the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia, and the Organization of the American States Building in Washington, D.C. As the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg approaches, make a trip to the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. Just for a minute or so, contemplate how the same men who, for four years, tried to kill each other within their lifetimes later pledged “peace eternal in a nation united.” That’s a pledge worthy of remembrance and perhaps our emulation.

Previous Page Next Page

Publication List
Using a screen reader? Click Here