A new veterans memorial follows a long history of remembering soldiers in Newberry Township

Dominish Marie Miller was saddened when she saw a stump that was part of a World War I Memorial in what was once a town commons in Newberry Township. It would seed an idea for her to help organize the building of a new memorial at the Multi Emergency Services Complex.

The living World War I memorial was once four majestic trees planted over a century ago. It honored four residents killed in France during the first great war. The last one was cut down in 2020, Miller said.

By 1947, when only two of the trees remained, a more lasting memorial, a granite monolith, was built by the nephew of the original memorial's creator, at Paddletown Cemetery. The monument bears the names of township residents who died during the Civil War and World War II, Miller added.

On Veterans Day, the community gathered for an unveiling of the memorial during a comfortable sunny breeze that occasionally turned strong to send a participating Boy Scout scurrying to steady a flag. Behind the memorial is a small tree that will be decorated as a community Christmas tree. Bricks honoring veterans lead the way to the memorial. Speeches, the carrying of the colors and a gun salute punctuated the moment.

“Here we are 77 years later and another veterans memorial is being dedicated in Newberry Township. This memorial will stand for the courage and honor of all of the locals who fought for our country from the Revolutionary Way to the war in Afghanistan and beyond,” Miller finished her speech.