On Christmas Day 1924, Memorial Park in Jacksonville was dedicated to commemorate the lives of the men and women of Florida who died in World War I, or what was then called the Great War. In addition to erecting a memorial fountain, 1,255 names were inscribed by hand on three Memorial Scrolls, which were rolled up together and placed inside a sealed lead box, which was in turn sealed in a bronze vault. As a kind of time capsule, the metal box within a box was then deposited in the cornerstone near the base of the memorial fountain, beneath the iconic Spiritualized Life statue by the sculptor C. Adrian Pillars.
Although several lists of the names of Florida’s World War I Fallen were compiled and printed both before and after the dedication, none of those lists, including the Memorial Scrolls, were complete. At the request of the Memorial Park Association, I first began devising a complete list of Florida’s Fallen in November 2017. My efforts resulted in an additional 500+ names being added to the honor roll.
Afterwards, I began writing stories about the names. Some of those stories appear here. Other stories comprise an audio podcast available here.
Additional stories, as well as a history of Memorial Park’s founding, were published in time for the 100th anniversary in a work titled Remembering Florida’s World War I Fallen.
A second volume, More Than Names: Stories of Florida’s World War I Fallen, has also been released.
Both books are available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Tertulia and other online booksellers. Or if you would like to purchase an autographed copy at a 40% discount (plus postage), please contact me.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the printed work will be donated to the Memorial Park Association, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, to help preserve the legacy and memory of Florida’s World War I Fallen.
R. B. Rosenburg
rbrosenburg@clayton.edu
Media
Remembering Florida's World War I Fallen 