On this week’s Valley Navel Gazing, retired Valley Community Foundation President James Cohen talks about an effort underway to restore the Soldiers Monument on the Derby Green.
Click play to listen.
The monument was erected in 1877 to memorialize soldiers from Derby and Shelton who died in the Civil War, the deadliest conflict in American history.
Click here to learn more about the monument’s local history.
Cohen, who was born and raised in Derby, noticed about two years ago that the monument had been damaged by vandals, and then learned it had not been cleaned at any point in its 139-year-history.
So he spearheaded an effort to restore the monument that now includes the Valley Community Foundation, Aldermen and other officials from both cities, as well as the Derby and Shelton historical societies.
New episodes of the “Navel Gazing” podcast are released every Monday.
Click here for past episodes on iTunes.
