September 30, 2018
Press Contact:
Michele Luthin
1 (917) 509-0054
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Memorial Park, Florida’s World War One Memorial,
will open the recently unearthed Lead Box found inside a Bronze Box,
which contains a 1924 Scroll listing 1,220 names of Florida’s Fallen Heroes and Heroines from World War One,
on Monday, October 1 at 9 am at the Archaeological Maritime Lab, St. Augustine Lighthouse
Jacksonville, FL – Memorial Park is a 1924 World War One Memorial located in Historic Riverside/Avondale in Jacksonville, FL. The vision of the Park was conceived by Rotarian George Hardee on November 12, 1918, the day after Armistice, the end of World War One – The Great War, on November 11. On November 12, a Citizens Committee was formed to raise funds, and on December 25, 1924, the Park opened.
On that date, a parchment scroll onto which was inscribed “in India ink” 1,220 names of the Florida Fallen, military men and women, was put into a lead box and soldered shut; then the lead box was put into a bronze box and soldered shut. The bronze box was opened on Thursday, September 27 at the Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville by members of the Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department along with St. Augustine-based Ann Seibert, a nationally credentialed paper conservator. Due to rust found in the top corner of the lead box, it was immediately taken to the Archaeological Maritime Lab at the St. Augustine Lighthouse under the helm of Starr Cox, director of Archaeological Conservation at L.A.M.P. Ms. Seibert and Ms. Cox will attempt to open the lead box at 9 am at the Lab along with members of the Memorial Park Association Board present.
When the status of this important historical scroll is known, it will be determined by these experts as to what the next step will be in order to preserve the scroll. The ultimate goal is to compare these names with the diligent work of Dr. R.B. Rosenburg of Clayton State University (Morrow, GA), who has researched the names and created a list, which includes more than 1,550 names. The names of Florida’s Fallen will be available on Memorial Park Association’s website, www.MemParkJax.org in the coming weeks. People who access the website will be able to look up loved ones and ancestors of families by Florida county, a remarkable resource.
Please check in at the St. Augustine Lighthouse in order to access the Lab located at 81 Lighthouse Avenue (use 100 Red Cox Road for gps), St. Augustine, FL 32080. Please call Michele Luthin so your name can be at the entrance.
About Memorial Park and the Memorial Park Association
Memorial Park is located at 1620 Riverside Ave., between Margaret Street and Memorial Park Drive in Riverside near the Five Points area of Jacksonville, Fla. Established in 1986, the Memorial Park Association is a nonprofit charitable organization serving its mission to enhance, promote and preserve Memorial Park as the premier historic park in the City of Jacksonville.
Designed by the famed Olmsted Brothers and dedicated on Dec. 25, 1924, it is the only park in the state dedicated to the 1,220 Floridians who lost their lives in service during World War I. In 2012, the Memorial Park Association initiated major planning efforts to restore and rehabilitate Memorial Park to its original grandeur, culminating in the development of a viable master plan that will serve as the foundation for continued restoration efforts. Memorial Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also designated a WWI Centennial Memorial by the United States World War One Centennial Commission.
Learn more about Memorial Park and the Memorial Park Association here or visit them on Facebook.
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