Steuben County History

Steuben County Soldiers’ Monument

When President Abraham Lincoln called for Civil War troops, Steuben County was ready. B.J. Croawait received a commission to train and drill men eight hours a day. As a result townships formed Home Guards and Steuben County quickly filled the quota. Out of 1,480 eligible men, 1,278 served. Of those, 240 never returned. Steuben County sent more men per capita to the Civil War than any other county in Indiana.

Call for a Memorial

In the 1870s and 1880s, citizens were calling for a memorial. Building a suitable memorial was discussed several times, but still no action was taken. When the founders drew up the plat of Angola, the grassy area in the center of town was designated for the town’s business and it would be free from buildings. Finally, the decision was made to dedicate that area to the memory of those who served. Crosses were placed in the area by Civil War veterans and school children decorated them with flowers to honor the 240 who never returned.

The veterans were growing old and having more difficulty when it came time to decorate the center of town. Because of this, in 1906, again a plea came for a monument. However, it wasn’t until 1916 that a monument association was formed with someone in each township circulating petitions. With 1,300 signatures, the petitions were presented to the Steuben County Commissioners, who approved $15,000 for the cost of a monument. The city of Angola put in a curb at a cost of $1,000. Next they chose J.M. Ayres of Mansfield, Ohio as the architect. The contract was awarded to E. Hetzler of Angola Jan. 3, 1917. The base of the monument would be barre granite. Matt Haley of Boston erected the bronze statues.

Finally Finished

The monument was dedicated Sept. 13, 1917. With Angola mayor Tomas Creed presiding, activities included music by the Angola Band and the Ladies Imperial Band of Reading, Mich. Open air vaudeville, a cornet solo, vocal performances, a street parade and a balloon ascension with a double parachute drop highlighted the celebration. Dancing on the public square ended a full day of events, songs, speeches, and performances.

The figure at the top is Columbia, who represents peace. She weighs approximately 1,000 pounds and is 18 feet tall, from the base to the top of her flag pole. The entire monument weighs about 300,000 pounds. The monument is 70 feet tall and its base measures 19 feet 6 inches. It cost $16,000 to build the monument in 1917. In 1993 it was estimated it would cost more than $2 million to replace it. The land the monument sits on is the property of the City of Angola and the monument itself is the property of Steuben County. The Angola Parks Department maintained the land.

The statues were purchased from Mullins Catalog in Salem, Ohio. The four military figures represent the infantry, cavalry, artillery and navy.

Latest Improvements

In 1992 the monument desperately needed repairs. Venus Bronze Works, Inc. from Detroit received the bid at a cost of $78,000. Repairs included fixing dents and cracks, recreating missing parts, replacing the iron armatures, removing corrosion, and more. They cleaned and tuck pointed the concrete and granite as well. The repaired statues, including Columbia, were replaced May 29, 1993, with an official re-dedication ceremony following July 2. The 2015 redesign worked to address damage caused to the mound by vehicles (notably trucks.) The sound system also was replaced due to damage the year before. Lastly, the town installed a new landscape. Take a tour of the area and see all the historical locations and learn more about Steuben County history. Visit other locations, like our restaurants, shops and more while you are here.