The City of Worcester honors its veterans with memorials located throughout the city. Below is a collection of the statues, monuments and squares commemorating our veterans and the wars in which they served. Stay tuned for additional content and a more comprehensive look at the men and women who served our country.
Located on the Worcester Common, the Soldiers' Memorial was built in 1874 by Randolph Rogers and honors the 4,000 soldiers from the city who answered the Union call during the Civil War. Four statues representing the infantry, artillery, cavalry and navy surmount the corners on rounded pedestals. The bottom course of stonework contains four tablets engraved with 398 names of war dead, arranged alphabetically below their service unit. The mid-level is adorned with four round medallions: President Lincoln, Governor John A. Andrew, a touching scene of a dying soldier in his comrade's arms, and an inscription at the front. The uppermost tablets depict the city seal, the United States seal, the Commonwealth seal, and a shield of crossed sabers in laurel wreath. A colossal Athena Nike (Greek goddess of victory) tops the column, sword upraised in right hand and a palm frond of forgiveness in the left. The four cannons, muzzles down to indicate the silenced enemy, complete a complex composition.
The Municipal Memorial Auditorium stands in simple grandeur,
an enduring tribute to those whose sacrifice was sublime,
a majestic memorial for the use and benefit of many generations.
Worcester Memorial Auditorium (also known simply as Worcester Auditorium or AUD) is a multi-purpose arena located at Lincoln Square in Worcester, Massachusetts. 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.
For more information visit www.worcaud.com
Ten years after the Armistice that ended the fighting of World War I, Worcester honored its dead by building a somber memorial structure and by planting a grove of maple trees - one for each of the hundreds of its residents who died in the war at the Memorial Grove in Green Hill Park. Subsequent decades weakened the plantings and eroded the stonework but did not diminish the City's commitment to remember its fallen soldiers and sailors.
In 2018, as the centennial of the Armistice approached, Worcester renewed its commitment to the men and women whose sacrifice gave the world an interval of peace. To honor them, the Memorial Grove at Green Hill Park was rededicated.
The City of Worcester has proposed a multi-year renovation of the Whispering Wall at Lincoln Square. The memorial was originally dedicated in 1935 and includes the names of more than 350 men and women from Worcester who gave their lives in World War I. Proposed plans for the renovations include relocating and restoring the memorial and flagpole, new shade trees, new walkways, new wheelchair accessible benches and more!
Check out the link below to view the presentation slides from the November 9, 2023 Public Meeting.
The City of Worcester honors its World War II Veterans in memorial locations across the city including:
The World War II memorial located on the Worcester Common was designed by Worcester-based Weston & Sampson Engineering, Inc., which donated their services to the project. The design 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.
Located at Lincoln Square, the Citizens of Color Honor Roll 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.
The WWII Memorial at the corner of Lake Avenue and Hamilton Street in Worcester was built and dedicated in 1947. It pays tribute to 253 local WWII Veterans. These Veterans were called the "Greatest Generation" WWII Veterans.
The Korean War Memorial on the corner of Front and Foster Streets near Washington Square honors the 191 young soldiers from Worcester County who made the supreme sacrifice in the Korean War. A polished black granite wall is inscribed with the soldier's names. Thousands of people attended the dedication ceremony on November 9, 2003, which was the culmination of an effort that spanned decades.
A bronze heroic statue of a Korea 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. The child also symbolizes bright prospects for the future of Korea. Educational signs, additional flagpoles and a Walkway of Honor situated in a tree-lined setting were also added to the Memorial. The walkway includes memorial bricks inscribed with the names of Massachusetts' fallen war heroes from Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf, as well as six American news correspondents who died in Iraq and Pakistan.
The Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans' Memorial was dedicated in June of 2002 and is located at Green Hill Park in Worcester. This picturesque 4-acre memorial is comprised of three distinct sections, called "Places." Amongst these three sections you will also find a pond and fountain, walking paths, beautiful landscaping and inviting park benches. This truly is a place that provides a dignified, quiet, natural location for both reflection and learning.
The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial "Places" consist of the PLACE OF FLAGS, PLACE OF WORDS and PLACE OF NAMES:
To learn more about the memorial, please visit the Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans' Memorial website.
The Southwest Asia War Memorial, designated in 1993 and constructed in the City of Worcester by the Desert Calm Committee, Inc., is the official State monument for the Veterans of the Southwest Asia War. This monument on the Worcester Common is in memory of those who gave their lives in the Desert Shield/Desert Storm conflict.
The top, larger portion of the monument has the following inscription:
DESERT SHIELD 1990 / DESERT STORM 1991
TO THE
MEN AND WOMEN
WHO ANSWERED THE
CALL AND ESPECIALLY
THOSE WHO GAVE
THEIR LIVES
The bottom tablet is inscribed as follows:
THE OFFICIAL STATE
MONUMENT FOR VETERANS OF
THE SOUTHWEST ASIA WAR
Click on a thumbnail below to view the full-sized image.
