The original monument was made of soft St. Genevieve limestone and it had decayed considerably over the years. The replica is made of much sturdier Bedford limestone.
The Bloedner Monument is important not just because it was the first Civil War memorial erected, but it also shows the role of new immigrants to the United States during the war. Alice Bennett, historian for the National Cemetery Administration said, "While they came from the Old World, they fought to protect the New World."
The original Bloedner Monument is in the Frazier History Museum after being restored by the University of Louisville.
The cemetery administration at Cave City paid $330,000 for the three-year project with the replacement being carved by the John Stevens Shop in Newport, Rhode Island. Much of the inscription on the original had long ago worn away, but it was able to be recreated through an old photo and a German-language newspaper from the 1870s that had the inscription written out.
The inscription on the front of the new one is in German with a translation on the back.
Louisville has a large German community.
Always Good to Preserve Something from the Past. --Old Secesh
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