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Louisville to honor Civil War veterans with monument

Canton Repository - 2/17/2020

LOUISVILLE The community is reaching back more than a century and a half to honor local residents who served in the military during the Civil War.

Under authority of the Louisville-Nimishillen Historical Society, the project will feature a post-mounted metal plaque containing names of 29 servicemen who lost their lives. The Civil War was fought in the early 1860s.

Coming up with the names was largely the work of Michael Carden and Mark Brunner, two members of the society. The plaque will be mounted on city-owned land in the 200 block of S. Mill Street where two other monuments stand.

"I started this more than 20 years ago," said Carden, vice president of the Louisville-Nimishillen Historical Society. "I just always had an interest in the Civil War. It was just a personal interest of mine."

Not all of the servicemen to be listed on the plaque died in action, or hostile exchange with Confederate troops. Many died from illnesses.

Project narrowed

"Initially, I thought Stark County (servicemen)," Carden said. "But when I saw how many in Stark County, I wanted to narrow it down. I narrowed it down to Louisville (area)."

The site where the Civil War memorial will go contains an imposing statue known as The Doughboy. It is a replica of a World War I soldier.

There also is a plaque commemorating a gathering here on Sept. 17, 1952, involving local citizens and then-U.S. Rep. Frank Bow. That event commemorated the completion of the U.S.Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. Louisville became known as the Constitution Town during the 1950s.

City Council is in agreement with the Louisville-Nimishillen Historical Society's proposal.

"The City Council endorses it," city Manager Larry Collins said. "They would like it to be symmetrical. There is a sign (Constitution commemoration) that is already there. They want to make sure the new sign matches the old sign."

Brunner recalled checking a lot of vital statistics to obtain the names.

Burial, birth records

"I have researched Nimishillen Township," Brunner said. "I checked on the internet, mostly Ancestry.com. I have the records of anyone who ever lived in Nimishillen Township. I have all the birth records, I have all the burial records."

He even searched cemeteries to find graves.

"It might have a little stake, a marker, that says Civil War veteran right by their grave," Brunner said.

Franklin Bronze Plaques of Franklin, Pa., is preparing the Civil War memorial.

"We have the funds to do it," said Ronald Derry, president of the Louisville-Nimishillen Historical Society. "It will be under $5,000. We don't know exactly when it will be finished. But it has been ordered. There is space there (on the plaque) in the event one or two (more names) show up."

Across the street to the west sit monuments honoring local servicemen who died during World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War.

The proposal for the Civil War memorial "was a great presentation," City Councilman Richard Guiley said. "It will be a nice memorial to add to the ones honoring World War I, World War II and Korean (wars). This completes the major wars of the 19th and 20th centuries."

Reach Malcolm at 330-580-8305 or malcolm.hall@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: mhallREP

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