Featured Artifact of the Week

Soldiers’ Monument Programmes

These programs were made for Westford’s Civil War Monument 1910 dedication and Memorial Day 1915. The one for the dedication featured the menu and order of events. The other was for Memorial Day exercises. Civil War veteran Ai Bicknell (1843-1919) was listed as Commander Westford Veteran Association, while Captain Sherman Fletcher was listed as Marshal.

Standing adjacent to the town common, the Civil War Monument was made by Harrison Granite Co. of New York. Like many monuments the bronze soldier was not specifically based on any one soldier, and created as a tribute to Westford’s Civil War veterans. It was donated by Col. Edwin Metcalf (1848-1915) in 1909, dedicated the next year. Edwin was the son of Civil War vet Lt. William Metcalf (1819-1900), the first to enlist and only officer to serve from Westford.

The Programs were donated by Virginia Burham of Westford in 1998.

More about the monument

Westford Off the Pedestal

The meaning of a monument does not have to be static. With many, including ours, not representing a single soldier, it is possible to create new meaning and improved understanding surrounding the represented history. Using our own creativity, we can remake the monument with the outline linked below, and photograph ourselves around Westford with our cut out version of the Civil War soldier.

Westford Off the Pedestal

Programmes
1910, 1915
Paper, printed
W.1998.83a