Historic Civil War memorial statute may get facelift

The weather and vandalism of almost 110 years is starting to show on the Civil War Monument statue at Lone Mountain Cemetery.

When Cemetery Sexton Dave Stoltz received a letter in July from the Smithsonian Institute's Save Outdoor Sculptures program, he called Cindy Southerland, a local cemetery historian, to help apply for a grant to refurbish the worn statue.

On Sunday, Southerland learned the Smithsonian Institute has agreed to fund $850 for an assessment of how much it will take to repair the statue. The assessment could lead to a second grant of up to $42,000 to restore the statue.

Only one grant is given to each state, Stoltz said, but neither he nor Southerland know if their grant was the only request from Nevada.

With Lone Mountain at its back, the statue stands as a memorial to Union Civil War soldiers. Southerland said the statue was commissioned by the Legislature in 1885 for $1,000.

Created in Connecticut, it was one of hundreds of identical Civil War memorial statues around the country, but Southerland believes it is the only copy in Nevada. It was erected in Carson City on Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day, 1891.

"Being the state capital, it is significant that this was raised here," Southerland said. "It's a significant piece of state history, something done to remember those soldiers. It's a measure of honor of our help with the Civil War effort."

Images of General Ulysses S. Grant and Admiral David G. Farragut stand in high relief from the statue's sides with other symbols of the U.S. Navy and Army, as well as the badge of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union Civil War veterans.

From a distance, the 18-foot tall statue looks fine.

"Well, it's not," Southerland said.

The statue, made of zinc, is starting to crack in places and has bullet holes in several other locations, not to mention signs of visiting birds. The soldier at the top of the statue lists to one side. All his weight rests on his heels and, over time, water started pooling and forcing the soldier to sink into the rest of the statue.

A gate that once closed the fence around the statue was stolen several years ago. Grant's image on the east side of the statue has been scarred by beatings.

"If you just look at these cracks you can see they're not going to get any better," Stoltz said.

The assessment should be completed by the end of November. Southerland and Stoltz couldn't estimated when refurbishment will be finished. Southerland said Carson may need to pay a part of the refurbishment costs.