Wheaton Park District receives grant for WWI Obelisk Monument in Northside Park

WHEATON – The United States World War One Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum & Library on Sept. 27 announced the first 50 grant awardees for their WWI Centennial Memorials program, and the list includes the Wheaton Park District's WWI Obelisk Monument in Northside Park.

Wheaton is one of six Illinois organizations that honor community members who served during the war in the form of monuments or memorials. Five hundred men from the Wheaton area enlisted from 1917 through 1919, 13 of whom died in service, according to a news release from the Wheaton Park District.

In 1922, a memorial consisting of two bronze plaques with the names of all 500 men was mounted on an obelisk and placed at the Warren L. Wheaton home at Roosevelt and Naperville roads, the release stated. Five hundred ash trees were planted along Roosevelt Road leading up to the obelisk to create Wheaton’s Road of Remembrance.

When the road was widened in 1931, the trees were moved to various parks throughout the city, and a new obelisk was built at Northside Park five years later. The original bronze plaques were reinstalled and remained unrestored until this year, according to the release.

The Park District hired Restoric, a local restoration specialist, in 2012 to do an assessment of the monument and developed plans for the restoration work. Restoration began earlier this year, and it was completed in August.

Included in the restoration was removal of cement-mortars and repointing of mortar joints, cleaning of masonry surfaces, replacement of damaged limestone masonry, repairing of cracks and conversing the bronze plaques, the release stated.

The preservation of the monument was recognized by the United States World War One Centennial Commission, which will be giving the Park District a matching grant of $2,000.

State Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, was in attendance at the grant announcement and acknowledged the obelisk in the Wheaton community needed substantial work to fix the masonry and brass. 
 
"World War I is an important part of the community there," Ives said in the release. "At the time of the conflict, Wheaton had roughly 4,000 residents and about 500 men left to serve in the war. We've lost that generation already."

Park District Board of Commissioners President John Vires also was in attendance, and he was honored Northside’s obelisk was recognized by the commission.

"We are proud and thankful for this acknowledgement from the United States World War One Centennial Commission and Pritzker Military Museum & Library," he said in the release. "Our efforts to restore Northside's monument have paid off immensely."
 
A dedication ceremony for the restored monument is planned for 10 a.m. Nov. 11, Veterans Day, at Northside Park, 1300 N. West St., Wheaton. More information will be available at wheatonparkdistrict.com.