Civil War Statue in Wichita Undergoes Repairs

From the Nov. 5, 2013, Wichita (Kansas) Eagle "100-year-old statue atop Civil War memorial in Wichita comes down for repairs" by Dion Lefler.

The 13-foot "Lady Liberty" statue holding the banner of freedom on the south lawn of the Sedgwick County Courthouse at the pinnacle of the Soldiers and Sailors Civil War Monument has been taken to the Russell-Marti Conservation Service company in California, Missouri.

The monument was dedicated in 1913 for the dwindling number of Union survivors. It was last restored in 2000.

The Liberty statue was designed and built by W.H. Mullins Company of Salem, Ohio, which, during the late 1800s, early 1900s, specialized in Civil War memorials. Lady Liberty was one of their more popular statues, coming in 10-foot and 13-foot versions.

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was very influential in Wichita and even though the city already had two smaller Civil War monuments, they wanted a "lasting tribute."   Funds were raised by a local tax to cover the $25,000 memorial.

Wichita and Sedgwick County didn't even exist during the Civil War, the area being part of a trust for the Osage and other Indian tribes. After the war,veterans, mostly Union, began streaming into Kansas.

--Old Secesh