Peace Monuments in Alabama, Florida & Mississippi (USA)

Right click image to enlarge.

N/A - Slave Cabins, Kingsley Plantation, Timucuan Ecological & Historical Preserve, Jacksonville, Florida (USA). "A fifth of a mile from the plantation home of Zephaniah Kingsley are the remains of 23 tabby cabins. Arranged in a semicircle, there were 32 cabins originally, 16 on either side of the road. This area represents the slave community, homes of the men, women, and children who lived and worked on Kingsley Plantation more than 150 years ago." Unintentional monument.

May 24, 1907 - Statue of Peace, Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, Mississippi (USA). The 90-foot high monument, constructed of Mt. Airy granite, features the statue of "Peace" that was sculpted by William Couper [1853-1942]. In her hands, "Peace" holds a sword and a shield to signify that the soldiers of both armies have placed the weapons of war in her eternal care. Built by State of Minnesota.

February 1, 1929 - Bok Tower & Gardens, Historic Bok Sanctuary, Lake Wales, Florida (USA). National Historic Landmark. Gardens by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. "Symbolize Edward Bok's concern for World Peace and Beauty, themes which are interwoven throughout his concept for creating this gift, the overall design including landscape and architecture, and in the small details. The dove, a symbol of peace, recurs in many styles and materials throughout the tower and gardens." (Stephenson 1990)

1955 - Japanese Stone Lantern, Historic Bok Sanctuary, Lake Wales, Florida (USA). Plaque "This Japanese stone lantern was a gift of Usaburo Tsujita of Tokyo, member of Edward Bok's staff 1922 from to 1925. The lantern, representing seven years of his savings, is placed within direct sight of the grave of Edward Bok [1863-1930] as a tribute and symbolizes, with its encircling doves, humanity's universal hope for world peace."

1938 - Anti-War Monument, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida (USA). Artillery shell made into a monument by Hamilton Holt [1872-1951], president of Rollins College. Top inscription: "Pause, passer by, and hang your head in shame." Right image shows Holt (far right) visiting Belgian trenches during World War I. Compare 1936 monument of Sylvaia Pankhurst in London, England (UK).

1943 - Four Freedoms Memorial, Madison, Florida (USA). "A striking sculpture of four angels, their wings unfurled in the wind. Dedicated to Colin P. Kelly, a B-17 pilot whose plane was shot down just days after Pearl Harbor. Represents President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms that he articulated in his 1941 State of the Union address. Roosevelt said, 'We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms: Freedom of speech, freedom of every person to worship God in his own way, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.'"

1943 - Monument of States, 300 East Monument Avenue, Kississimi, Florida (USA). "Begun in 1942 after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, the Monument of States was the vision of Dr. Charles Bressler-Pettis, a local tourism booster, who wanted a physical symbol of American unity in the dark days of early World War II. He wrote letters to every governor and to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to send him local rocks. (No clue where the President got his rock.) The donations arrived in a variety of formats -- blocks of native granite, chunks of quartz, small boulders, fossils, hunks of old buildings. One contributor even sent a human skull. By 1943 the Doctor had a complete set [of rocks] from the then-lower-48 [states], and had them mortared into a 50-foot-tall pseudo-pyramid of garishly-colored concrete slabs that weighed 30 tons. Each slab had a rock embedded in it, and was inscribed with the donor's name and location: 'Idaho, Chase A. Clark Gov. 1941-42,' 'Lottie Lawler,' 'Wisconsin Dairy Land,' 'Harvard Medical School.'"

1957 - Tower of Peace, US Highway 27, Clermont, Florida (USA). 270-foot tourist attraction. World's tallest concrete block tower. Originally called Placid Tower. Then Tower of Peace. Then Happiness Tower. Now marketed as Citrus Tower. Click here for unfavorable review from Roadside America.

1964 - John F. Kennedy Torch of Friendship, Bayfront Park, Miami, Florida (USA). Contains seals of Latin American countries. "In addition to the monument to Simon Bolivar, there is also an interesting monument to the Torch of Friendship among the countries of the Americas (minus Cuba, of course). The monument is dedicated to assassinated US President John F. Kennedy, and the design of the structure is very much reminiscent of the 1960’s (i.e. the typeface of the country names). There’s not much else to the Torch of Friendship, although it is an interesting stop on Biscayne Blvd."

March 1965 - Friendship Fountain, St. Johns River Park (aka Friendship Park), Southbank Riverwalk, Jacksonville (Florida). "The 'world’s largest and tallest' fountain when constructed. Now one of the city’s most recognizable and popular attractions for locals as well as tourists. Many residents have an emotional attachment to the fountain, and it is a meeting point for people and organizations hosting downtown events. The fountain and its architect Taylor Hardwick, were the focus of an advertisement campaign by German manufacturer Hansgrohe."

About 1973 - Big Spring International Park, Corner of Church & Williams, Huntsville, Alabama (USA). "First picnic area established in 1898. Got its international flavor from various gifts given to the city from other countries. In 1973 Norway gave a 1903 light beacon as well as a 1924 fog bell. In 1987 Japan gave the city the red bridge which is now a main attraction in the park. The park also boasts 60 cherry trees from Japan and a park bench given by Great Britain." Info courtesy of Anna Lee.

Date? - Peace Memorial, Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park & Funeral Home, Clearwater, Florida (USA). "This monument to peace is Excalibur. Can you disturb this peace by removing it from the stone?" Plaque: "THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED TO PEACE AND TO MAN'S SEARCH FOR IT. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares. Nation shall not lift up sword agains nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. Isaiah 2:4."

1977 - Grave of Fannie Lou Hamer, Ruleville, Mississippi (USA). Fannie Lou Hamer [1917-1977] was was an American voting rights activist and civil rights leader. Tombstone engraved "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired."

Date? - Civil Rights Memorial Park, just east of Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, Alabama (USA). A poorly maintained collection of folk murals and small monuments. The three illustrated were erected by Evelyn Lowrey of Atlanta, Georgia.

S C U L P T

1983 - Name? (Statue #44), Highway A1A Northbound, Faces the ocean. 30-feet tall. Carved by Peter Wolf Toth whose "Trail of the Whispering Giants" has at least one Indian statue in every state.

1989 - Civil Rights Memorial (fountain), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Montgomery, Alabama (USA). By Maya Lin. A memorial to 40 people who died between 1954 (year of Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education) and 1968 (year of Martin Luther King's assassination.) Civil Rights Memorial Center (CRMC) added in 2005.

February 1990 - Holocaust Memorial, Dade Boulevard at Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida (USA). Click here for reviews.

1991 - Monument to Viola Gregg Liuzzo [1925-1965], highway between Selma & Montgomery, Alabama (USA). "This brave [Unitarian] civil rights heroine of Detroit, Michigan, was killed by Ku Klux Klansmen, [two days] after the Selma-Montgomery March in 1965. Since Mrs. [Evelyn G.] Lowery established and dedicated this monument in 1991, it has been defaced and vandalized many times. But it still stands strong and tall as a testimony to the promise that 'We Shall Overcome!'" Monument is isolated on side of the highway where the murder took place. A fence has been constructed to protect it from further vandalism.

1992 - Florida Holocaust Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida (USA). "Formerly known as the Holocaust Center, the museum moved to its current location in 1998 and officially changed to its current name in 1999. One of the largest Holocaust museums in the US, it houses an actual box car (from Gdynia, Poland) that transported victims of the Nazi regime to the concentration camps." Entry #226 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1992 - Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, 520-16th Street North, Birmingham, Alabama (USA). "A large interpretive museum and research center. Depicts the struggles of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950's & 1960's."

1993 - National Voting Rights Museum & Institute, 1020 Water Avenue, Selma, Alabama (USA). "Serves as a living reminder that we stand on the shoulders of giants."

July 4, 1999 - Atheists in Foxholes Monument, Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), Lake Hypatia Freethought Hall, Munford, Alabama (USA). Inscribed: "In memory of ATHEISTS IN FOXHOLES and the countless FREETHINKERS [atheists, agnostics & skeptics of any persuasion] who have served this country with honor and distinction. Presented by the national FFRF with hope that in the future humankind may learn to avoid all war." The FFRF originally proposed an "Atheists in Foxholes" monument to replace a cross on public property in San Diego, California, but the foundation's formal bid was rejected in favor of religious bidders.

April 2-6, 2001 - Key West Peace Summit Memorial, Key West, Florida (USA). The site of several peace talks, the most recent is commemorated by this display of flags. Plaque: "On these grounds on April 2-6, 2001, Secretary of State Colin Powell opened peace talks between the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan.... The flags are, left to right, Azerbaijan, Organization for Securty & Cooperation in Europe, France, Russia, the United States and Armenit.

October 20, 2001 - Kentucky Memorial, Kentucky Avenue, Vicksburg, Mississippi (USA). "Soldiers from Kentucky fought on both sides of the Battle. The Memorial is a statue of Presidents Lincoln and Davis (both Kentucky natives) with words from both of them calling for reconciliation between the North and South. At the start of the war Kentucky declared itself to be neutral and only sided with Union after a Confederate invasion. Even so, the Conferdacy still had support there and was able to recruit soldiers both then and during a later invasion in 1862." Built by State of Kentucky.

June 2002 - Slavery & Civil War Museum, 1410 Water Avenue, Selma, Alabama (USA). An affiliate of the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute. Visited by EWL.

September 2002 - "The Fin Project: From Swords Into Plowshares," Pelican Harbor, North Bay Village, Miami, Florida (USA). 24 submarine fins. Two monuments in different cities (Miami & Seattle, Washington) made from the surplus fins of nuclear attack submarines by sculptor John T. Young.

November 4, 2002 - "Peace," Broward College, Downtown Center Building 31, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (USA). Stainless steel sculpture by Mexican artist Leonardo Nierman.

	S C U L P T	2003 - "Circle of Peace" Sculpture, Hospital for Women & Children, Huntsville, Alabama (USA). Sculpture by Gary Lee Price. Same sculpture erected in Loveland, Colorado (USA) in 2001. Info courtesy of Anna Lee.		S C U L P T	2001 - "Circle of Peace" Sculpture, Benson Park Sculpture Garden, Loveland, Colorado (USA). Sculpture depicts seven children of different racial backgrounds playing. By Gary Lee Price.
	November 2003 - Peace Mural, Art, War & Peace Museum, 1620 Washington Avenue, Miami, Florida (USA). By Vietnamese artist Houng. "In its entirety, over 800 feet in length & 8 feet tall, comprised of nearly 2000 paintings that capture highly evocative images and concepts of war and related themes, including the effects of war on women and children, veterans, refugees, torture, and displacement." Gallery moved from Jensen Beach to Miami in November 2007.

March 7, 2005 - James Reeb Memorial, Sidewalk, Selma, Alabama (USA). On March 9, 1965 (two days after "Bloody Sunday", three Unitarian Universalist ministers -- Clark Olsen, Orloff Miller and James Reeb [1927-1965] -- were attacked near this spot after leaving Strong's Restaurant (then called Walker's Cafe). Reeb died two days later. Photo by EWL during dedication ceremony shows Rev. Clark Olsen (speaking) & Evelyn G. Lowery (looking on), wife of Rev. Joseph P. Lowery. This is one of 13 civil rights memorials created by Mrs. Lowery in Alabama.

2005 - Civil Rights Memorial Center (CRMC), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Montgomery, Alabama (USA). "Adjacent to the Civil Rights Memorial (qv). In addition to exhibits about Civil Rights Movement martyrs, the Memorial Center houses a 56-seat theater, a classroom for educational activities & and the Wall of Tolerance." The names of more than half a million people who have pledged to take a stand against hate & work for justice & tolerance in their daily lives flow continuously down the 20-by-40 foot wall. Visitors have the opportunity to take the pledge & add their names to the Wall during their visit.

2006 - International Peace Garden, Coral Springs Museum of Art, Coral Springs, Florida (USA). Left image shows the Peter King "Gateway to Peace."

December 6, 2009 - "Gratitude to America. America is the victory of peace," along The Baywalk (between Miami Circle & Brickell Park), Miami, Florida (USA). Borders the Related Group’s Icon Brickell. "A 15-foot bronze monument by Russian sculptor Gregory Pototsky." "Conveys the ideas of democracy, freedom & tolerance." "Erected by Universal Artistik (founded in 2008 to represent artists from all over the world) together with Related group (one of the largest global development companies that built the Time Warner towers in New York)."

September 21, 2007 - Wellington Rotary Peace Park, Wellington, Florida (USA). Surrounds a large peace pole.

December 10, 2009 - Obama Nobel Peace Mural, Miami Art Palace, 7900 SW 77 Avenue, Miami, Florida (USA). Measures 200 feet long by 8 feet tall. Made of 700 original paintings devoted to one subject, USA Transformation. Unveiled the same day that President Obama travels to Oslo (Norway) to accept his Nobel Peace Prize. By artist Huong. Presented by the Peace Mural Foundation. Huong says, "I was in Washington, DC, on Inauguration Day, with 1.8 million others... These panels reflect what I saw and felt on that day and what I have been seeing and hearing in the months since... As the Nobel Committee noted, in Obama’s America, 'Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts.' So stop for a moment. See what dialogue looks like, and hear the many voices. YES, WE CAN hear each other with respect. It’s the path to peace." Click here for a news account of the opening.

T R A I L

September 25, 2010 - "Path of peace," Mile Marker 99, Key Largo, Florida (USA). "[First of] a string of 22 outdoor sites throughout the Florida Keys where people can relax, gather their thoughts & re-energize their souls. 'They will be spaces for people to go who are in distress, or just so they can get away from computers, televisions and cell phones,' said Denise Downing, a member of the Keys to Peace leadership team. 'The sites will be a place to go & focus on gathering more inner peace.' The idea is to build peace parks from Key Largo to Key West, & Downing said Keys to Peace has had initial talks with the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Gardens. In fact, Downing said she envisions a 'peace trail' that links one peace park to another along the Keys. /// "Each park will feature a peace bell made from a recycled dive tank, an identification plaque ("Community Peace Park – We are ALL the Keys To Peace.") & seating. Keys To Peace will provide host sites with a bell primed & ready for custom artwork. Mounting of the bells & installation of additional enhancements (sculpture, wind chimes, peace poles, labyrinths, water features, etc.) will vary by location."

April 9, 2011 - Southernmost Peace Park, West Martello Tower, Key West, Florida (USA).