Southeast Missourian
JACKSON, Mo. --On the county courthouse lawn in Jackson, a statue stands at the southeast corner. He's a doughboy, so called because he stands to honor the men and women who served in World War I.
Since its dedication in 1925, the 16-feet-tall white marble statue has eroded, but thanks to the American Legion post in Jackson, the statue is sealed against further damage.
Retired Navy Commander Lawson Burgfeld spoke Tuesday about preservation efforts.
About 20 people gathered for the presentation at the Altenthal-Joerns American Legion Hall in Jackson, part of the Missouri Main Street "road show," themed "This Place Matters!"
The program's aim is to draw attention to specific sites across the state in need of preservation efforts.
Last week, the show stopped in at Cape Girardeau's H-H Building at 400 Broadway, now under renovation to become, with an adjoining building, a Marriott Courtyard hotel, set to open later this summer.
About a year ago, Burgfeld said, the Jackson American Legion post stepped up to assume a mission: "to remember our own forefathers and those who did not return home from the great war."
The challenge was to refurbish and preserve the statue, Burgfeld said.
To that end, the post applied for and received a grant through the 100 Cities/100 Memorials program, sponsored by the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, with support from the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The matching grant of up to $2,000 joined funds raised from corporate partners and private donors.
A bronze plaque gives the names of 40 veterans who gave their lives during the course of the war, Burgfeld said.
He's spent several months and untold hours researching those names, attempting to piece together a short biography of each fallen soldier.
Through his research, Burgfeld said he found an additional seven names to add to the plaque at the re-dedication ceremony to be held May 28 -- starting at 9 a.m. on Memorial Day.