In the last few weeks, the installation of the Veterans Monument at Columbia City Park has been a big topic throughout the county. What most people may not know is that a large portion of the monument was built right here in Marion County at Southern Monument in Foxworth.
“It is a great honor to be a part of this honor, to honor the veterans who fought for our freedoms,” Stacy Nolan with Southern Monument said.
Nolan said the monument was a little overwhelming as it was the largest item he has worked on in his 30 years with the company. Bill Harris, commander of the American Legion Post 90, and Carol Durham, curator of the Marion County Historical Museum and Archives, approached him about the project around September 2019. They provided the concept, and from there, the work began on creating what may be Nolan’s “masterpiece.”
“They gave me the dimensions of how big it would be, and I had to come up with the sizes of the pieces of granite,” Nolan said, sitting in his office Friday.
Nolan said it wasn’t feasible to do longer than eight feet of granite because the granite would flex and break while being transported. So he had to figure out the best way to break up the pieces with the proper size and dimensions.
The largest pieces of granite came from Southern Monument’s supplier in Georgia. The supplier has a quarry that can cut the pieces directly from the ground. The columns are 8-feet, 6-inches long and weigh 3,000 pounds each. The larger pieces on the top and bottom of the monument weigh 2,800 pounds, and the other pieces weigh 1,900 pounds.
The larger lettering on the monument was completed in Georgia. However, Nolan said they cut the columns and added the emblems on both sides of the columns in Foxworth. Creating the templates for the emblems took an extra step because both the U.S. Army and Navy had changed their emblems, and what was on the computer was the older ones so Nolan had to make the new emblems.
Once the graphics were approved, Nolan sent the graphics to the plotter, who recreated a stencil. The stencil was then attached to the granite, with all areas not being sandblasted, covered and protected. This process allowed the stencil only to be used once. Next, the graphics were sandblasted by hand onto the granite.
Nolan said it took eight hours to cut one column, and they had to order special equipment for the project, including certain types of clamps for lifting the heavy pieces of granite to install. They also had to order harnesses and other safety equipment for the setup.
Once the engraving was complete in Foxworth, it was time to set it up, which was a process. First, the concrete base had to sit for a month before the heavy granite pieces could be installed. Then, due to the weight of the columns, Nolan said they had to get assistance from Griner Drilling for the use of a crane that could handle the weight of the different pieces.
The granite pieces of the monument then had to be put together in parts rather than all at once. An adhesive was added to hold everything. Each piece had to sit for 24 hours after the adhesive was added, causing the process to take three days.
In addition to the granite, Nolan said they also handled all of the engravings on the preordered brick pavers. They will also provide the engraving to all new ones the American Legion receives. In addition, they have a portable machine they will use to engrave on the pavers now that they have been placed in the plaza. There were six batches of pavers Southern Monument received, and it took 12 hours to do just one batch.
The monument is still not completely done. The last pieces of the monument that have been ordered, Nolan said, are six benches surrounding the plaza. Once the granite comes in, they will add the graphics and place them at the site.
The project was put on hold for a year because of the pandemic.
Nolan and Reggie MacIntosh, the owners of Southern Monument, said they are very proud of the monument even though it was a challenge with all the many details being reviewed repeatedly.
“It is an honor that we had a part for something in our city that will be here for generations of people to come and see and to be proud of the people who fought for our freedom throughout the years,” Nolan said.
