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L.H. Moore Soldier Memorial Monument
"And what nobler purpose could such a monument discharge than the preservation
of the names of those patriotic spirits who sprang to arms and to their country's
defense when war's alarm was sounded…?" Pipestone County Star, July 5, 1901
In 1900, renowned local sculptor Leon H. Moore won immediate support from
county Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R. Post) for his plan to sculpt a
veterans' memorial on the county courthouse lawn. Moore proposed that the
sculpture feature an ordinary Civil War Union soldier standing at ease atop a
base engraved with the names of Pipestone County veterans of the Civil War
and Spanish American War. County G.A.R. posts and individuals in each of
the county's twelve townships donated the money needed to purchase two
train car loads of Bedford, Indiana, limestone for the monument. Though the
sculpture took Moore nearly a year to complete, he donated the cost of his
labor. It was given to the county in a special ceremony on July 4, 1901, "one of
the most patriotuc demonstrations in county history."
In a 1997 survey, funded by a Save Outdoor Sculpture grant, several problems
and threats to the statue were identified and later brought before the
Pipestone County Commissioners. The Commissioners voted to preserve the
sculpture. In 1999, with the help of the Pipestone County Museum, the county
received a generous grant from the Minnesota Historical Society State Capital
Projects Grants-in-Aid program providing nearly half of the more than
$35,000 needed to preserve and restore this treasured landmark. The
remainder of the funds came from the County of Pipestone, county VFW and
American Legion posts and auxiliaries, community groups, and private
citizens. The statue was rededicated in a special ceremony on August 12, 2000,
with restoration taking place in the fall of that year. This project and
continued care of the monument preserves Moore's artistry and the names of
these veterans, providing "an inspiration to the generations of the future to
emulate their spirit" (Pipestone County Star, July 5, 1901).
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