{"id":1829,"date":"2018-05-28T10:17:51","date_gmt":"2018-05-28T10:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.archivingwheeling.org\/blog\/?p=1829"},"modified":"2018-05-28T14:42:09","modified_gmt":"2018-05-28T14:42:09","slug":"the-spirit-of-the-wheeling-doughboy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.archivingwheeling.org\/blog\/the-spirit-of-the-wheeling-doughboy","title":{"rendered":"The Spirit of the Wheeling Doughboy"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

\"Wheeling's<\/a>
Wheeling\u2019s version of the Spirit of the American Doughboy has stood guard at Wheeling Park since 1931.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Standing Guard<\/h3>\n
\n

He\u2019s a familiar figure to most Wheeling residents.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After all, he has stood guard vigilantly at Wheeling Park for more than eighty years \u2014 grenade in one hand, [part of a] rifle in the other. He even inspired a 2011 motion picture<\/a> featuring a lot of local sets and actors.<\/p>\n

\"MCurdy's<\/a>
MCurdy\u2019s Monument Works plaque on the Wheeling Doughboy statue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He\u2019s made of pressed copper\u00a0forged at McCurdy\u2019s Monument Works on\u00a0Chapline\u00a0Street, and his faded green patina and missing bits and pieces evince the passage of time.<\/p>\n

But most people don\u2019t realize he\u2019s actually one of many essentially identical monuments collectively known as \u201cSpirit of the American Doughboy,\u201d dedicated to the American soldiers of the Great War and designed by sculptor Ernest Moore \u201cE. M.\u201d Viquesney<\/a>. The Doughboys were\u00a0mass produced during the 1920s and 1930s. At the peak of the fervor, Viquesney boasted that there were more than 300 of his statues, and at least one in every state in the Union.<\/p>\n

\"By<\/a>
By the time this image appeared in the September 11, 1949 Wheeling News-Register the Wheeling Doughboy\u2019s rifle had already been broken.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That may have been an exaggerated claim, and many have been lost to time and attrition \u2014 acts of God and man. Our own statue has suffered from vandalism\u2014the rifle is long gone (evidently, before 1950) as is the barbed wire.<\/p>\n

The estimated number of extant doughboys is thought to be about 140 in 38 states<\/a>.\u00a0West Virginia has four: pressed copper versions at Logan, Philippi, and Wheeling, and a stone version at Madison.<\/p>\n

It is said to be the most-viewed example of outdoor statuary in the United States (after the Statue of Liberty) although many people don\u2019t even realize they\u2019ve seen it.\u00a0There is even an extensive online database<\/a> dedicated to the Spirit of the American Doughboy.<\/p>\n

An Old Mistake Corrected<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Wheeling Doughboy as he appeared on Memorial Day, 1931, from the Wheeling Register report. The rifle with bayonet intact is visible.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Report<\/a>
Report on Wheeling Doughboy dedication ceremony from Wheeling Register, May 31, 1931.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Exactly when was the Wheeling Doughboy<\/a>\u00a0dedicated?<\/p>\n

Online<\/a>\u00a0sources\u00a0identify\u00a0the date as Armistice Day (aka Veteran\u2019s Day), November 11, 1931. But a closer examination of the Wheeling newspapers of the period reveals that the statue was actually dedicated months earlier, on Memorial Day<\/a>, May 30, 1931.<\/p>\n

[Note: Many thanks to the E.M. Viquesney Doughboy Database for promptly correcting this error<\/a> on their Wheeling page.]<\/p>\n

The park was tidied up in preparation. \u201cThe birds and animals have been moved to their summer quarters,\u201d the Wheeling Intelligencer<\/em> reported on May 29, \u201cand are now on exhibition. Everything has been newly painted and benches and tables to accommodate 3000 people have been set up\u2026The pool has been repaired and newly painted, and new, clean white sand has been placed on the beach\u2026One hundred forty two Austrian pines have been planted\u2026\u201d The program for the day was to include tennis, Tom Thumb golf, picnics, and the dedication itself, followed by a dance with Billy Copol\u2019s Orchestra.<\/p>\n

Nor did the people of Wheeling disappoint. \u201cSeveral thousands thronged the main entrance to Wheeling municipal park Saturday afternoon to witness the formal dedication and unveiling,\u201d the Wheeling Register<\/em> reported. The ceremony was led by the Service Star Legion, a group founded by the mothers of Great\u00a0War\u00a0veterans shortly after the Armistice was signed in 1918. A 16-piece band played patriotic songs as World War I veteran Raymond J. Falland served as master of ceremonies. Service Star member Mrs. H. E. McConkey unveiled the statue while Mrs. Virginia Hall Donnelly (also a prominent\u00a0member of the West Virginia chapter of the Ladies of the G.A.R.<\/a>) sang the \u201cStar Spangled Banner,\u201d and Hon. Otto Schenk<\/a> of the Wheeling Park Commission accepted the monument on behalf of the city. Speakers included William J. Gompers and C.B. Montgomery of Post No. 1, American Legion (thought to be the first in the nation).<\/p>\n

\"Carving<\/a>
Carving on the base of the Wheeling Doughboy. Charter members of Wheeling\u2019s Service Star Legion included Mrs. Effie Rausch, Amelia Kurner, and Ida McKonkey. The group held services at the monument every Memorial Day, at least into the 1950s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Wheeling Doughboy, poised as he is, for battle, was dedicated 13 years after the \u201cWar to End all Wars\u201d ended, and 10 years before the U.S. was drawn into an even bigger war. Despite their new monument\u2019s aggressive pose, the people of Wheeling, like most Americans, were hoping for peace.<\/p>\n

Despite the disarmament movement, Viquesney\u2019s statues were a hit. The design was so popular that Viquesney manufactured replica pot metal statuettes<\/a> by the thousands. Also available were doughboy lamps<\/a>, which were made from the 11 inch statuettes (the doughboy held a light bulb and lampshade in his raised hand).<\/p>\n

The miniatures make regular appearances on Ebay, but usually demand exorbitantly high bids. Through luck and persistant searching, one finally became available recently at a reasonable price. A quick trip to Wheeling Park provided evidence of how strikingly accurate the detail is on the miniature, and one can see why these statuettes, miniature memorials to loved ones who bravely fought, were \u2014 and continue to be \u2014 so popular.<\/p>\n