Memorial Hall Civil War Veterans

Cement statues of a Civil War soldier and sailor created to replace earlier identical statues that stood outside of Memorial Hall in Bellefontaine, Ohio. The original statues were created by local artist Warren Cushman and were unveiled in 1898. The cement used to construct the statues was donated by famed concrete inventor George Bartholomew, who was also responsible for the construction of the first concrete street in America in Bellefontaine.

The soldier was to resemble Eugene Reynolds, who was believed to be the first Logan County resident killed in the Civil War, and was modeled after Earl F. Detrick, who later became a sergeant in Co. F Ohio Volunteers during the Spanish American War. The sailor’s resemblance was to be selected by the G.A.R. Post and Cushman used his son Byron “Bun” Cushman to serve as a model.

Over the years the statues deteriorated and were taken down in 1962. In celebration of Logan County’s bicentennial in 2018 and a restoration/renovation project with the Memorial Building the county commissioners commissioned Urbana artist Mike Major to recreate the statues.