Mourning Doughboy
Standing at the center of the Franklin Town Common is the town’s World War I memorial, often referred to as the “Mourning Doughboy“. Dedicated in 1929, the monument honors the 423 men from Franklin who served during the First World War, including the 13 who lost their lives. The memorial captures a deeply reflective moment. The bronze soldier stands at rest with his helmet lowered before him and his rifle grounded at his side. This posture conveys the emotional weight carried home from war,
The sculpture is believed to be a casting of My Buddy, a work created by noted sculptor Joseph P. Pollia, an Italian- born artist who became nationally recognized for his war memorials during the 1920s and 1930s. Pollia developed a style that emphasized the inner emotion of soldiers rather than battlefield action. Franklin’s memorial is one of several castings of this design found across the country. Pollia’s work reflected the changing mood that followed World War I, when communities across America sought memorials that acknowledged sacrifice.
The “Mourning Doughboy” represents a memory of an entire generation of young men whose lives were forever changed by the First World War.
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Benjamin Franklin Statue
Franklin is a town deeply aware of its history and proudly displays the people and ideals that helped shape its identity. Unlike many New England towns named for English places, Franklin holds the distinction of being the first town in the United States named after one of the nation’s founding fathers: Benjamin Franklin. Although Benjamin Franklin is closely […]
Veterans Memorial Walkway
One of the more thoughtful veteran’s memorials I have encountered was the Veterans Memorial Walkway located on the Franklin Town Common. Rather than a single statue or monument, the memorial was designed as a place to move through, almost lie creating a room for remembrance within the landscape of the common itself. Dedicated on November 11, 2018, the walkway […]
Spanish-American War Memorial
Among the memorials on the Franklin town common, ist his mounted naval style gun and plaque commemorating Franklin residents who served in the Spanish-American War of 1898. The gun is a direct physical reminder of how warfare was changing at the turn of the twentieth century, when modern naval power began reshaping America’s role in […]
