Light Of Liberty - The Lycoming War Memorial in Newberry

 
The World War Monument In Newberry Square, Lycoming County Pa

The "Light of Liberty" monument was created by Italian artist Giuseppe Moretti.  

Erected by the Citizens of the Seventh and Eleventh Wards of the City of Williamsport and Woodard and Old Lycoming Townships in memory of the Soldiers Sailors and Nurses who served in the World War 

The monument was unveiled on Memorial Day, in May of 1922.  As was typical for large events at the time, special trains were put in service to take the extra passengers to the dedications, and a "great crowd" was present for the ceremony.

Red cross nurses, and Gold Start Parents, on the platform along with the speakers

War Memorial Dedication in Newberry, May 1922

A  reviewing stand had been built , and the parade marched “over the principal streets to the memorial”.  Special viewing areas were designated for Gold Star fathers and mothers and Red Cross nurses. 

There was a band, and students from the local schools -  Roosevelt, Jackson and Lincoln township-  under the direction of Miss Florence Wilson, "sang inspiringly".  Songs included: ‘America the Beautiful’ and ‘Battle of Hymn of the Republic’,” according to a  Gazette article.

Speakers included Emerson Collins, a lawyer and member of the Pennsylvania Legislation who worked with the governor. Collins said that the end of the Great War would bring a new era and a brighter chapter to the world, a sentiment that was enthusiastically welcomed by the crowd.  

“When Mr. Collins had finished speaking, a tremendous wave of applause swept through the crowd, rising higher and higher as the thrilling words of the able speaker sank deeply into the hearts of each and every listener..”  - The Gazette

Side note - in the Dedication photos, take notice of the trolley tracks.  In later photos, you can see where the tracks were removed, and the road paved where the tracks were - still surrounded by the old brick road.

Odd Fellows Hall and Post office, replaced by Monument Square

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From the Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania survey, 1994.

Sculpture: metal; Base: concrete or stone.

Dimensions:

Sculpture: approx. 10 x 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 ft.; Base: approx. 7 x 5 x 5 ft.

Inscription:

(On sculpture near globe, in script:) G. Moretti (On side of base:) ERECTED BY/THE CITIZENS/OF THE SEVENTH/AND ELEVENTH WARDS/OF THE CITY OF/WILLIAMSPORT/AND WOODARD/AND OLD/LYCOMING TOWNSHIPS/IN MEMORY OF/THE SOLDIERS/SAILORS AND NURSES/WHO SERVED/IN THE WORLD WAR (350 names are listed on panels on the remaining seven sides of the base) signed

Description:

Full-length female figure. She wears a long flowing gown and sandals and stands on a half-globe. In her proper right hand she holds high a torch. In her proper left hand she holds a tablet. Her gaze is directed upward. The metal sculpture stands on a concrete or stone octagonal base which ends in two steps.

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The World War I Memorials of Giuseppe Moretti

Kent Ahrens

Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 

https://doi.org/10.5325/pennhistory.92.1.0100

ABSTRACT

No sooner had hostilities with Germany ceased in November 1918 than communities across America began to seek appropriate ways to honor the men and women who had contributed to the war effort. Towns and cities erected hundreds of precast monuments. However, many localities sought to hire skilled artists to create memorials unique to their own communities. It is fortuitous that Guiseppe Moretti had settled in Pittsburgh in 1916, where he enjoyed a regional reputation. He had been attracted to Pittsburgh as early as 1895 with his commission for a statue of Edward Bigelow, Director of Public Works, who later commissioned Moretti’s work in Schenley Park. Between 1919 and 1924 Moretti created a group of war memorials around the country that are unique in their execution and subject. His more complex iconography differentiates his military figures from many of other doughboy statuary, and the classically clothed female allegorical figures became a significant hallmark of his work.

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In a scrapbook in Alabama there are two photos of the artist in Williamsport:

p. 62. Photograph of NEWBERRY- WILLIAMSPORT, PA., WAR MEMORIAL. Erected 1922. Photograph of Moretti working in the NEWBERRY-WILLIAMSPORT, Pa., WAR MEMORIAL. No date. Photograph of model of NEWBERRY-WILLIAMSPORT, Pa., WAR MEMORIAL.

p. 63. Photograph of NEWBERRY-WILLIAMSPORT, Pa., WAR MEMORIAL. 1922. (See also pages 65, 67).

University of West Alabama

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Another memorial by the same artist

Note to self - surprisingly little coverage in local papers - neighboring towns often included large write ups about events like this, but there is almost no mention of it.

[Died in Service] Frank Raymond Bower • J. MacMurray Brill Eugene Dapp • Torrance Deise • John M. Grier William Ray Hartman • Dwight L.M. Hughes Ulysses Samuel Johnson • Leon Roy Mead Watson R. Pepperman • Pietro Piccarazzi Ernest Prosper Shirey • Anson William Willits Elmer E. Willits