War Memorial
Standing in the center of Stow is a memorial that has grown over more than a century to tell the story of generations of local men and women who served their country.
The central portion began as Stow’s memorial to those who served in World War I. According to the town’s published history, the memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1921. It was an important event for this small community. The account describes it as “a great day in the history of Stow” and records that virtually the entire town turned out for the dedication, joined by visitors from surrounding communities. The Maynard band performed before the formal ceremonies began.
The bronze tablet at the center reads “In Honor of the Town of Stow” and records the names of local residents who served in the World War. Those names transformed a conflict fought thousands of miles away into something very personal. They were Stow’s sons, brothers, husbands, neighbors and friends.
But this site did not remain solely a World War I memorial. Over the years, additional granite tablets were added, turning the area into a broader memorial to Stow’s military history. Today the memorials in the town center recognize local service connected with conflicts extending from the French and Indian War and American Revolution through the Civil War, the two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam and more recent American military involvement in the Middle East.
Stow’s military history reaches particularly far back. On April 19, 1775, 81 men from Stow marched toward Concord after receiving word of the British advance. Stow’s own history records that its soldiers joined the fighting as the British retreated toward Boston, and about 40 Stow men later served at Bunker Hill.
I especially like seeing these memorials in the centers of small New England towns. The history of America’s wars can seem distant when we encounter it in books, but places like this bring that history home. Behind every name was someone who once lived here, traveled these roads and belonged to this community.
