The public can help to pay for repairs to a Civil War monument on the Derby Green that has been vandalized repeatedly.
The monument, standing 21 feet tall on the north side of the green, is a tribute to the 82 men from Derby and Shelton who died during the Civil War.
Its base was dedicated in 1877. The fully realized monument, with a bronze soldier atop the base, was officially unveiled July 4, 1883.
A reported 8,000 people attended the unveiling in 1883.
The monument came to be more than 100 years ago thanks to the generosity of people living in the Valley. Residents and businesses donated money to make it happen.
Now a new set of Valley residents can help again.
Derby native James Cohen, the retired CEO of The Valley Community Foundation, is spearheading the effort to repair and restore the monument.
About $72,000 is needed. Of that, $39,000 has been provided.
There’s a fund at The Valley Community Foundation where the public can make up the difference.
Click here to make a tax-deductible donation online, or print the flier posted below.
Cohen, Valley Community Foundation CEO Sharon Closius and a large group of community and government leaders hosted a kickoff for the restoration fund Dec. 8 in front of the monument.
“I’m here as an individual. I have no vested interest except that I’m a person who has particularly loved Derby and the Derby Green for all of my life,” Cohen said.
Cohen called the monument a Derby treasure — one that should not be forgotten or ignored.
In addition to normal wear and tear due to the passage of time, the monument has been subjected to vandalism.
Someone tried to pry off the plaque containing the names of the Derby-Shelton fallen soldiers. Cohen theorized the attempt was probably made a few years back when unscrupulous vandals were stealing bronze from war monuments throughout the lower Valley.
Parts of the monument are missing. Someone hacked away chunks of the stone pedestal. The straps on the soldier’s rifle are missing, which means someone at some point climbed it to commit theft.
“To see the senseless vandalism, taking a hammer and breaking off pieces of a granite monument, it makes no sense,” Cohen said.
While the vandalism was a slap in the face to Derby’s history, the group on the Green — which included Derby Mayor Anita Dugatto and Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti — focused on the task at hand.
“I believe the people of Derby, the people of Shelton, the people of the Valley and people beyond will recognize what we have here and what needs to be done. I believe we will get this ball in the end zone,” Cohen said.
Conserve ART, LLC of Hamden is handling the monument’s repairs and restoration.
Francis Miller, the company’s founder, said the Derby Green monument is impressive.
“It’s an elegant monument. The proportions are beautiful and the detail of the bronze around it are just nice. It’s really a beautiful piece,” Miller said.
Miller’s team will clean the sculpture, remove loose corrosion, and apply a protective coating to prevent further decay. They will also replace the missing parts, reset the bent plaque, and clean and repair the stonework.
The soldier itself will remain aged, as opposed to being restored to its original color. That’s because there’s no way to tell what precise color it was when it was erected more than a century ago.
Dugatto thanked Cohen, the community foundation, and the Valley community leaders for supporting the project, and for turning the idea into action.
Civil War Monument Restoration by The Valley Indy on Scribd
