Called the “Great War” and once hailed as the “war to end all wars,” World War I was followed by even deadlier conflicts. Although overshadowed today by World War II, its effects shaped the 20th century – and its memory endures in hundreds of monuments across Illinois, including dozens in this region.

Crystal Lake honors William Chandler Peterson, a 23-year-old architect and native son killed in June 1918 during the Battle of Chateau-Thierry. Two memorials commemorate him: a plaque at Husmann Elementary School on West Paddock Street and his striking headstone in Union Cemetery on West Woodstock Street.

In Joliet, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church remembers eight parishioners who died in the war. The city also features the Doughboy statue at Joliet Central High School, honoring 34 students and six faculty members who served. Nearby, Crete’s town park holds a boulder and plaque dedicated in 1921 to the city’s veterans and its sole war casualty.

La Salle County has several World War I monuments. In Ransom, a 1918 monument at North Lane and West Plumb streets, sponsored by the Women’s Service League, serves as a remembrance – not a memorial – of those who served.

Ottawa’s War Mothers Memorial, dedicated in 1923 near La Salle and Jackson streets by the local chapter of American War Mothers, honors all who served. Another nearby memorial lists local soldiers’ names.

In Streator’s Riverview Cemetery, a marker honors Leslie Woods, the city’s first war casualty. The local American Legion Post at 218 Main Street bears his name; Woods served in the hospital corps and died in France in September 1917.

Oglesby’s Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, a three-sided stone pillar dedicated in 1918, honors local men who answered the nation’s call. Troy Grove also features a veterans’ memorial including World War I commemoration.

DeKalb’s Soldiers and Sailors Memorial clock, installed in February 1921 on East Lincoln Highway and restored in 1996, includes a plaque honoring local loyalty and heroism during the war.

Morris’ Grundy County Courthouse grounds hold a somber memorial with a plaque listing local war dead alongside a large artillery piece.

In April 1925, the World War I section of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial at the Old Kane County Courthouse in Geneva was dedicated. Originally honoring Civil War soldiers, the monument now includes veterans from all wars.

Kane County Veterans Memorial at 719 South Batavia also lists World War I participants. Nearby, St. Charles’ Henry Rockwell Baker Community Center displays a plaque naming local servicemen.

Mooseheart’s Philadelphia Lodge funded the Philadelphia Memorial Hospital in 1919 – a unique war commemoration in Illinois.

Bureau County’s small town of Ladd features a striking World War I statue on South Main Street, with a plaque honoring “Ladd’s Loyal Sons.”

Oregon’s Fallen Soldiers Memorial and Ogle County Soldiers and Sailors Monuments stand on the old Ogle County Courthouse square, commemorating casualties from World War I and other conflicts.

Rochelle’s Memorial Park Arch, a replica of the original destroyed in 2010, honors the war.

Mount Morris’ American Legion built a memorial on South Wesley Avenue in 1926 to preserve the town’s war legacy.

Dixon hosts three World War I monuments, including the Horace Ortt Memorial in Haymarket Square Park, honoring a local man killed in France in October 1918. The town also has a memorial bridge for veterans of all wars and an arch on Galena Street first erected in 1919 and updated several times since. Elsewhere in Lee County, the Mills and Petrie Memorial Library in Ashton was dedicated to honor World War I.

These monuments remain silent reminders of a war legacy that still lingers more than a century later.

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.