Peace Monuments in Central States (USA) (States of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri & Nebraska)

Right click image to enlarge.

April 1830 - Community of Christ, Temple & World Headquarters, Independence, Missouri (USA). "In keeping with Community of Christ's role as a "peace and justice church," the Independence Temple was "dedicated to the pursuit of peace". Each day of the year at 1:30 pm a Daily Prayer for Peace is held in the sanctuary of the Independence Temple. In addition, the Community of Christ International Peace Award has been bestowed annually since 1993 (except 1996)," and the church holds a three-day Peace Colloquy in October each year. Click here for Wikipedia article. Visited by EWL.

1877 "Peace and Vigilance," Old Post Office, N 8th St at Olive St, St. Louis, Missouri (USA). By renowned artist Daniel Chester French [1850-1931]. Moved indoors in 1989. "Vigilance is on the ball. She is alert, scanning the horizon. Her posture is relaxed, but a sword is ready in her right hand. Peace, on the other hand, is harder to interpret. She holds an olive branch in her left hand (I don't know if the lefty olive has a meaning) but, frankly, she looks depressed rather than peaceful. Maybe her lover left, her dog died and, as the old Commander Cody song has it, she's down to seeds and stems again, too. The eagle shrieks over the whole scene. Vigilance might appreciate the scouting help, but how is Peace going to get any, well, peace with that screaming bird over her head? Maybe that's why she's depressed."

September 2, 1912 - Lincoln Statue, Nebraska State Capitol, Lincoln, Nebraska (USA). "The Gettysburg Address [November 19, 1863] is carved into the granite backdrop, and Abraham Lincoln is depicted as just having finished that memorable speech. Sculptor Daniel Chester French [1850-1931] collaborated with architect Henry Bacon [1866-1924] to provide the statue's setting. French and Bacon are most famous for their work on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. At the statue's dedication, Nebraska orator William Jennings Bryan [1860-1925] spoke to a crowd of thousands."

November 11, 1926 - Liberty Memorial & National World War I Museum, 100 West 26th Street, Kansas City, Missouri (USA). "Carved into the limestone of the north wall, the Great Frieze of War & Peace (middle image) is 148 feet long and 18 feet high, one of largest in the world. It was sculpted by Edmond Amateis [1897-1981] and depicts the progress from war to peace." Revised & expanded museum opened December 2, 2006 (right image). Visited by EWL.

1927 - Memorial Peace Park & Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty Pageant Grounds, Medicine Lodge, Barber County, Kansas (USA). Text of Kansas historical marker: "Medicine Lodge Peace Treaties. In October 1867, Kiowa, Comanche, Arapahoe, Apache and Cheyenne Indians [the Five Nations] signed a peace treaties with the Federal government. 15,000 Indians camped near by during the council, among them the famous chiefs Satanta [c1820-1878], Little Raven [d.1889] and Black Kettle [c1803-1868]. 500 soldiers acted as escort for the U.S. commissioners. Interest in this colorful spectacle was so widespread that Eastern papers sent correspondents, among them Henry M. Stanley [1841-1904], who later was to find Livingstone in Africa. While the treaties did not bring immediate peace they made possible the coming of the railroads and eventual settlement. The site of the council was at the confluence of the Medicine river and Elm creek, a little southwest of Medicine Lodge. Every five years a treaty pageant is re-enacted in this amphitheater. In Medicine Lodge there is a commemorative monument on the high school grounds." Second image shows old entrance posts. Third image shows Peace Treaty Statue in town of Medicine Lodge.

May 1940 - "The Wedding of the Waters," Aloe Plaza (opposite railway station), St. Louis, Missouri (USA). Symbolizes the Missouri & Mississippi Rivers merging just North of St. Louis. Unveiled to a crowd of about 3000 people, the fountain caused a local uproar because of its playful, irreverent, naked & nearly cartoonish figures, and because Swedish sculptor Carl Milles [1875-1955] had conceived the group as a wedding party with undeniable sexual overtones. The city insisted that the name be changed to "The Meeting of the Waters."

July 1957 - Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum, 500 West US Highway 24, Independence, Missouri (USA). One of 12 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Click here for the Wikipedia article. Visited by EWL.

1961 - "Japanese temple bell of peace and friendship," just west of the Iowa Judicial Building on the south side of Court Avenue, State Capitol grounds, Des Moines, Iowa, USA. Gift from Prefecture of Yamanashi (Japan) to the State of Iowa in gratitude for agricultural relief in 1959. Cast by Oigo Bell Works, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture (Japan). Photo by EWL.

July 24, 1967 - Gateway Arch, Mississippi Riverfront, St. Louis, Missouri (USA). Also known as the Gateway to the West, is an integral part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and the iconic image of St. Louis. Designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen [1910-1961] and German-American structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel [1925-1993] in 1947. Stands 630 feet (192 m) tall, and is 630 feet (192 m) wide at its base, making it the tallest monument in the USA."

1969 - Winston Churchill Memorial & Library in the United States, Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri (USA). Includes a museum in the undercroft of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, a 12th century church from the middle of London which was redesigned by Sir Christopher Wren in 1677, bombed out during WW-II, and relocated to Fulton in 19___. Right image shows section of the Berlin Wall erected outside the church. Churchill made his famous "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College in 1946, and Mikhail Gorbachev gave a speech there in 1992 declaring the end of the Cold War. Visited by EWL.

After 1969 - Grave of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Place of Meditation, Eisenhower Center, Abeline, Kansas (USA). Right panel quotes from Ike's "The Chance for Peace" speech of April 15, 1953: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed... This is not a way of life at all... Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron."

1970 - Peace Park, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri (USA). After the shootings at Kent State University [in Ohio on May 4, 1970], students named an area of MacAlester Park "Peace Park." Rock is inscribed "PEACE will be the DAWN of CIVILIZATION."

April 28, 1974 - "Hands in Prayer, World in Peace," Business Route 71, Webb City, Missouri (USA). "An inspirational piece that symbolizes the need for spiritual awareness. It was concieved and completely created by artist Jack (J. E.) Dawson. It stands well above its surroundings at thirty-two feet high and weighing 110 tons."

May 1974 "Keeper of the Plains," Wichita, Kansas (USA). City of Wichita Public Art webpage says, "Standing on the confluence of the Big & Little Arkansas Rivers, this 44-foot steel sculpture of an Indian warrior was created by Indian artist Blackbear Bosin of Wichita. Construction of the sculpture was by Tom Washburn, Architectural Metal Products, Inc. The sculpture was completely cut, welded and assembled in the shop & moved in one piece to the location." Mark Hatlie says, "What that site doesn't tell you, is that at the former location, the 'Keeper' faced looking out over the river. Now he faces down town. Has he gone from fisher to a shopper?"

1978 - Statue of Justice, Lobby, Kansas Judicial Center, 301 SW 10th Avenue, Topeka, Kansas (USA). "An 8 Wonders of Kansas Art finalist because of the beauty of the 22-foot white marble statue designed by Bernard (Poco) Frazier [1906-1976] & because of the importance of its symbolic portrayal of justice as possessing clear vision & swift & accurate action."/// "Justice in Kansas is depicted as the compassion & sensitivity of a woman holding the powers of unrivaled vision & swift & accurate action, as evidenced by the sculpture 'Justice' in the atrium of the Judicial Center in Topeka. The gentle, kneeling posture of a woman is holding aloft a native Prairie Falcon, one of the swiftest birds known, whose vision is thought to be eight times more powerful than man's."

1979 - Improved in 2015 - Peace Rock, Cowles Commons, Third & Locust Streets, Des Moines, Iowa (USA). Part of "Peace Garden" in 1980. Survived transition from Nollen Plaza to Cowles Commons in 2015. Inscribed "A Vision of Peace...May all who experience this garden be more loving, merciful and sharing." Benches with these 10 peace quotations were added in 2015: “I do not want the peace that passeth understanding, I want the understanding which bringeth peace.” –Helen Keller // “All we are saying is give peace a chance.” –John Lennon // “No one has a right to sit down and feel helpless, there’s too much to do.” –Dorothy Day // “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it, whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” –Chief Seattle // “True peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice.” –Martin Luther King, Jr. // “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” –Mother Theresa // “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” –Albert Einstein // “Peace is always beautiful.” –Walt Whitman // “If I could have three wishes, world peace would be all three.” –Marlia, Eighth grade // “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” –Mahatma Gandi.

Date? - Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, National Park Service (NPS), 15th & Monroe Streets, Topeka, Kansas (USA). Described on pages 335-337 of "A Traveller's Guide to the Civil Rights Movement" by Jim Carrier (2004). Visited by EWL.

Date? - Glore Psychiatric Museum, 3406 Frederick Avenue, St. Joseph, Missouri (USA). "Chronicles the 130-year history of what was once known as the 'State Lunatic Asylum No. 2.' The Museum uses full-sized replicas, interactive displays, audio-visuals, artifacts, and documents to illustrate the history of the treatment of mental illness. The museum is recognized as 'one of the 50 most unusual Museums in the country.' It is also featured in the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die in the USA and Canada."

1989 - Wonderscope Children's Museum of Kansas City, Shawnee, Kansas (USA). "Provides fun, inter-disciplinary arts and sciences exhibits and programs for children 10 and under, their parents and teachers from across the Kansas City area."

November 9, 1990 - Breakthrough, Latshaw Plaza, adjacent to Winston Churchill Memorial, Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri (USA). By British-born artist Edwina Sandys. "Where Churchill first coined the historic phrase the 'Iron Curtain.' It has been called the most significant monument to be constructed on American soil since the Vietnam War Memorial. Created from eight massive sections of the Berlin Wall. Features male and female forms cut out from the wall’s concrete surface, symbolizing a passage through the wall to freedom."

Palm Sunday 1993 - Stained Glass Windows, Guardian Angel Roadside Chapel, South 24th Street, Clear Lake, Iowa (USA). One window labled "Peace," and the other with sword and "Isaiah 2:4." Windows salvaged from the former Zion Lutheran Church. Clear Lake is venue of last concert and death of rock star Buddy Holley [1936-1959].

April 17, 1994 - Temple of Peace (Independence Temple), Community of Christ, World Plaza, Independence, Missouri (USA).

April 17, 1994 - Peace Door, Independence Temple, Community of Christ, World Plaza, Independence, Missouri (USA). In 1874, the Community of Christ adopted as its official seal a lion and lamb led by a child with the words "Peace" underneath. Every day at 1:30 pm, a Prayer for Peace is held in the temple. The Community of Christ International Peace Award has been bestowed annually since 1993 (except 1996).

1994-2005 - Prairie Peace Park, Seward, Nebraska (USA) -- 7 miles west of Lincoln on Interstate Highway 80 (exit 388). Peace museum primarily for children, created and owned by Don Tilley. Closed in 2005, but some of its outdoor displays remain, including open globe (with doves of peace) & 16 sculptures of Sadako Sasaki. /// "In February, 2006, a stunning art & educational exhibit about the nuclear arms race was given to the Peace Farm [in Texas, qv] by the Prairie Peace Park near Lincoln, NE, where it had been installed since 1994. Created by Denver artists Barbara Donachy & Andy Bardwell, Amber Waves of Grain is a clay replica of the US nuclear arsenal as it stood at the peak of the Cold War: some 31,500 strategic & tactical nuclear warheads, over 1600 land & sea based missiles, 324 strategic bombers & 37 nuclear submarines. The pieces range in size from 4" warheads to 3" nuclear submarines. Created in 1982-83, the exhibit was shown in 18 locations before being installed at the Prairie Peace Park, including the National Mall in Washington, DC, universities, museums & other locations." Entry #582 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1995 - Children's Peace Pavilion, in Community of Christ Auditorium building, 100 West Walnut, Independence, Missouri (USA). A peace museum for children. Associated with Community of Christ Church. Click here for the Wikipedia article. Visited by EWL.

1995 - Statue of Sadako Sasaki, United Nations Peace Plaza, Lexington Avenue & Walnut Street, Independence, Missouri (USA). Near auditorum where President Truman declared the creation of the United Nations. Maintained by Community of Christ (Reorganized Mormon Church). Click here for air view.

2000 - "Soda Fountain," Wichita, Kansas (USA). 20-foot bronze by Georgia Gerber on the former site of the F. W. Woolworth dime store... Memorializes the months of African-American college student sit-ins in the former Wichita Woolworth's lunch counter [sic] at the start of the civil rights movement... One July day [in 1958], Carol Parks Hahn led a group of 30 students from the local NAACP into Dockum's Drug Store in downtown Wichita, where they could get food to go, but not eat at the counter. Every day, they took 2- to 3-hour shifts. There was no violence, but the white customers took their business elsewhere. Finally, after 3 weeks, the Dockums desegregated the counters at all 9 of their stores. This was 18 months before four students sat down at the Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina, but it's that counter that's in the Smithsonian [sic]."

April 12, 2002 - Swords Into Plowshares Peace Monument, World Plaza, Independence Temple, Community of Christ, Independence, Missouri (USA). Sculpted by Dave Martin. Dedicated by Ela Ghandi, recipient of the 2002 Community of Christ International Peace Award.

January 18, 2007 - "Pax Mundi II," H&R Block Headquarters, Kansas City, Missouri (USA). Conceived by Brent Collins (Gower, Missouri). Computer-modeled by Prof. Carlo H. Séquin (Computer Sciences Division, Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences Department, Uuiversitty of California, Berkeley, California). Cast, assembled and finished by Steve Reinmuth (Eugene, Oregon).''

October 2013 - Children's Peace Monument, Burwell Elementary School, 204 South 4th Avenue, Burwell, Nebraska (USA). Includes globe & two peace doves. Inspired by Children's Peace Monument in Hiroshima (Japan) [qv] during a 6th grade study of "the theme words: Hope, Peace, Tolerance, Patriotism, Freedom, Teamwork & Education." Money raised by the students of Joy Schott. Image (from video) is best available on-line. Click here for article (& PDF image) in school newsletter.

P A L A C E

Future - Maharishi Peace Palaces, c/o Maharishi Vedic City, Fairfield, Iowa (USA). To be constructed in many large cities by the Maharishi Vedic Education Development (MVED) Corporation. "Will offer to everyone the knowledge and practical programs for peace and enlightenment, for a healthy, happy, more creative, more fulfilling and successful life through the Transcendental Meditation program."