FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES (NJN Publishing)
Sunday, September 03, 2006
P'burg monument to look like new. 100-year-old fixture honors those who fought in the Civil War.
By DANIEL HAUSMANN
The Express-Times
PHILLIPSBURG | When it comes to the future of the South Main Street Business area, some are looking to the past.
A group of Civil War enthusiasts is leading the charge with plans to make the Soldiers and Sailors Monument look like it did 100 years ago.
"It should help enhance the downtown area," Randy Piazza said. "It's more or less the centerpiece."
Piazza is a member of the Phillipsburg Historical Society and an organizer of the May 13 rededication of the monument.
The group has raised more than $10,000 in the past two years for work on the monument made of Vermont granite. After the rededication festivities, there is approximately $4,000 left to make the repairs and spruce up the monument.
"We're going to have the monument re-grouted and re-cleaned," Piazza said. "It should look almost as the day it was put up."
Part of the work will be the replacement of a saber broken out of one of the monument soldier's hands. Local tombstone craftsman Lynn Ehrhardt of Phillipsburg Memorial will install the saber once the granite is delivered.
"It's going to be challenging to replace that centerpiece so it doesn't look like a replacement," Ehrhardt said. "It's hard to repair things like that."
Ehrhardt said the job will be made easier because the historical society is not placing the same restrictions on him that some other restoration projects have.
"Fortunately, they don't expect me to use to same tools from back then," Ehrhardt said.
Piazza said other work at the site could include the repair and repainting of the mortars surrounding the monument. He said society members planned to target other historical structures for refurbishment in town including the Morris Canal Arch and the Phillipsburg Cemetery.
"There are a number of historic pieces we want to preserve," Phillipsburg Urban Enterprise Zone director Mark Portnoy said.
The UEZ's goal is to get business to the downtown area, but Portnoy is working to secure money to make the landmarks part of the downtown master plan. UEZ has already secured $300,000 for the Morris Canal Arch and applied for more State Historic Preservation grants.
"We're going to be successful by playing on our tourism initiative," Portnoy said.
Part of the plan includes preserving historic downtown architecture.
Mayor Harry Wyant called the monument a real benefit to the town.
"It's another integral part of the revitalization of downtown," Wyant said.
The money raised for the monument came from private donations. According to a program from the May rededication, $3,800 was raised for the original construction in 1906.