Memorial stones installed at Veteran’s Walkway

It took workers of Carlinville Monument Company quite some time to figure out just how to securely move the large granite stone off the wooden slats and get it in a position to swing over to sit on the base. (Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press)

By Carmen Ensinger

Carrollton Square was a flurry of activity Friday morning as Carlinville Monument Company brought in a huge crane to install three of the five large granite stones at the Veteran’s Memorial Walkway.
The Memorial is located just east of the Thomas Carlin statue on the courthouse lawn. But don’t rush uptown to see them just yet. The stones have been securely covered up with a bright blue tarp until an official unveiling ceremony planned for Sept. 16, followed by a meal at the Eldred Legion.
Work began on the Memorial back in April when the concrete was poured for the base. Later on, several poles were installed which will hold flags and also lighting was installed.
The Memorial itself dates way back to pre-COVID times. It was the brain-child of Carrollton Alderwoman Bernie Faul who had seen something similar in a town up north near Springfield. Everyone loved the idea, but it was a huge undertaking that would take a lot of money to fund.
Then there was the location – where should it be located. Faul had first envisioned it being placed just north of the Henry T. Rainey statue so it could be seen by everyone who entered Carrollton. However, there were objections to this location by residents who lived nearby who were concerned about parking issues
Then, the city was going to donate the land that the old water tower sat on for the memorial to be constructed there, which is across from City Hall, about a block off the Square.
Veterans, and just about everyone else for that matter, didn’t like this idea because, unless you lived here, you wouldn’t know it was there.
It was then that Faul approached the Greene County Board about placing it on the Courthouse lawn. They agreed it would be a good idea and it was agreed that the location would be just south of the Thomas Carlin statue.
Securing the location was just a minor cog in the wheel, however. Raising the funds to actually construct it was the big problem. Estimated total cost of the project when it was first proposed was around $250,000.
Instead of opting for your typical gray granite stones, the Memorial Committee decided to go with black granite. However, there are only two places in which to obtain black granite – India or Europe.
The war in the Ukraine held up the delivery of the stones for a very short period of time, but they were delivered last November and then sent to the engravers to have the names engraved on the back and the designs laser printed on the front.
There are five stones in all, three larger ones measuring five foot tall when sitting on their base and two smaller ones measuring four feet tall. They are approximately nine inches deep and 2.5 feet wide.