1865-1900
Ohio’s American Civil War soldiers and civilians sought to commemorate the troopers’ devotion to and service with the United States by constructing monuments and other memorials.
During the American Civil War, Ohio provided the federal government with 260 regiments of men, including infantry, artillery, and cavalry units. Ohioans also served in several other regiments from other states, most notably from Kentucky, West Virginia, and Massachusetts, as well as in federal units. Almost 330,000 Ohio men, including 5,092 African Americans, served in the Union military during the conflict.
Ohio’s soldiers and civilians sought to commemorate the troopers’ devotion to and service with the United States by constructing monuments and other memorials. Ohioans completed the first of these commemorations during the Civil War, with hundreds more being built after the conflict. Ohioans have built at least 295 monuments to commemorate Civil War veterans, civilians, political leaders, and war-related events in the state. Eighty-six of the state’s eighty-eight counties contain Civil War monuments, with Hamilton County, Lucas County, Lorain County, Brown County, and Franklin County each boasting ten or more memorials each. Only Clinton County and Noble County do not contain Civil War monuments.
Residents of Austinburg, Ohio raised funds to construct a monument in honor of members of the 60th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The exact date of construction is unknown, but the memorial stands eighteen feet tall, including the six-foot tall statue of a soldier at parade rest that tops the monument. The entire memorial is constructed of granite. The monument is in poor condition, with the soldier missing his gun and the bill of his kepi broken. On the sides of the monument are the names of members of the 60th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
The memorial is located in a city park, on the south side of State Route 307 just west of State Route 45. The monument is surrounded with bushes, making it difficult for the memorial to be seen.
