In 1999 while working on the renovated Goodwin Park, Portsmouth City officials took another look inside the 1888 zinc alloy monument. The structure was lowered in 1955 and this crawl space was cut into the skin of the monument.

Inside the monument is a maintenance person's nightmare

The original metal armatures have long since rusted. The weight of the monument cracked the zinc exterior, causing leaks that rotted wooden timbers inside. More than a century of repair is evident with rubber caulking, tar patches cement fill.

This shot shows how completely the original steel structure has rusted away. Pieces literally dangle in the wind blowing through cracks in the surface. Preservationists expect the repair of the "white bronze" Civil War monument to run to $125,000. Even allowing for inflation, the monument repair cost is higher than its original purchase price.

Back outside, Goodwin Park has been newly renovated with a $250,000 HUD grant.. The tablet in the foreground was originally placed in Haymarket Square as a memorial to local men killed in World War 1.

The role of those killed in the battle is a reminder of the reason we build monuments in the first place, to provide some lasting record of the true cost of war. Listen closely, you'll hear the monument sing.

Digital photos by J. Dennis Robinson
© 1999 SeacoastNH.com

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