WORCESTER – There are memorials throughout the city honoring local soldiers and the ultimate sacrifice they made fighting in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and Southwest Asia War.
See the schedule for memorial day events here.
See the Map Below: Worcester’s War Memorials
The following information is provided by the City of Worcester. For more information on these memorials, visit the city’s website here.
Civil War: the Soldiers’ Memorial on the Worcester Common was built in 1874 by Randolph Rogers. It honors the 4,000 soldiers from Worcester who fought for the Unionduring the Civil War. There are four tablets engraved with 398 names of war dead, arranged alphabetically below their service unit.
World War I: the Worcester Auditorium at Lincoln Square was built in 1933 as a World War I War memorial in the form of a multi-purpose hall, the Auditorium has a 116-foot-wide (35 m), proscenium. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as part of the Institutional District.
World War I: the Memorial Grove in Green Hill Park feature s a grove of maple trees – one for each of the 100 residents who died in the war.
World War II: The World War II memorial on the Worcester Common features a series of water jets that include two large jets for the two main theaters of World War II; six medium-sized jets for the six military branches; and 52 smaller jets for the 518 Worcester residents who died in the war – two granite piers engraved with the names of Worcester residents who were killed or missing in action during WWII and informational kiosks that highlight Worcester’s contribution to the war effort.
World War II: The Citizens of Color Honor Roll at Lincoln Square is a re-creation of an original monument displaying the names of 145 men and women of color from Worcester who enlisted through October 1943 to serve in the military during World War II.
World War II: The Roll of Honor (pictured above) is located at the corner of Lake Avenue and Hamilton Street and pays tribute to 253 local WWII veterans. It was built and dedicated in 1947.
Korean War: The Korean War Memorial on the corner of Front and Foster Streets near Washington Square honors the 191 young soldiers from Worcester County who died in the Korean War. A bronze statue of a Korean-era American GI and a Korean child was added later. This statue representes the 100,000 orphans saved by the soldiers during and after the war.
Vietnam War: The Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial is located at Green Hill Park. The four-acre memorial is comprised of three distinct sections, called “Places.” Amongst these three sections you will also find a pond and fountain, walking paths, park benches and beautiful landscaping.
The Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial “Places” consist of the PLACE OF FLAGS, PLACE OF WORDS and PLACE OF NAMES:
- The PLACE OF FLAGS is a beautifully landscaped, circular monument consisting of three flags: an American Flag, the State Flag of Massachusetts and a POW/MIA Flag.
- The PLACE OF WORDS displays text etched in granite, taken directly from hand-written letters home by some of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who died while serving in Vietnam.
- The PLACE OF NAMES lists all of the names of Massachusetts residents who died in combat or as a result of wounds received while in action in Vietnam, or are still MIA.
See a map of Worcester’s war memorials here:
