Volunteers gave Civil War Monument new life

The Mooretown Soldiers Monument, located in Ross Township near Bergholz, Ohio, is a historic memorial dedicated to local men who lost their lives in the Civil War. Established in 1871 by Robert and Martha McLaughlin George in honor of their son, Cpl. Thomas George, who died in the Battle of Perryville, the monument includes a memorial stone engraved with the names of 42 soldiers, a flagpole, historical markers, and a Parrott rifle cannon.

Over the years, the monument has deteriorated due to time and damage, including an incident in the 1950s when a coal company damaged it, prompting repairs with harder sandstone. In recent decades, Virginia Glenn, a local historian and Ross Township farmer, alongside her husband, Curtis Glenn, spearheaded restoration efforts. They cleared overgrown vegetation, made structural repairs, and secured funding from various donors to revitalize the site.

The monument, now restored, continues to be maintained by the Glenns and the Ross Township community. It stands as a tribute to the young farm boys who enlisted together and served in the war, preserving their memory and the local history for future generations.