Estimated time to complete this section: 7 minutes
Monuments dot the landscape of many cities, towns, villages, and unincorporated areas. Whether they take the form of objects or spaces that already exist (such as a cannon, a tree, or the town green) or are purposefully designed, monuments serve as visual pronouncements of community history and identity. Monuments can unite communities at a particular point in time, but they are also attempts to connect that community with both its past and its future.
3.5 Video
World War II Memorial (Total Video Time: 4:36; video transcripts on page)
Monuments don’t reside in library collections, but the records that document their history might; as such, we’ll examine how the monuments (and memorials) in your community can be analyzed as historical sources. There are six points of inquiry to consider when analyzing monuments:
- Monument history: the overall process of monument building, from inception to design and construction to unveiling and use
- Monument design and materials: the evolution of the design plan(s) for the monument
- The materials used are directly related to the design plan(s)
- Monument site: the absolute and relative locations of the monument
- Monument inscriptions: the words and symbols placed on the monument
- Monument connections: how the monument connects to other people and places
- Monument afterlife: the connections between the actual monument and other aspects of the life of the community in which it is located
The chart below provides analysis questions for each point of inquiry:
| Monument history | When was the idea of the monument first conceived?
What does the monument commemorate? Who sponsored or advocated for the creation of the monument? Why? What do we know about this person/these people/this organization? How was the monument funded? When was the monument dedicated? |
| Monument design and materials | How was the design of the monument selected?
Was the final monument design adapted? How and why? What historical narrative is communicated by the monument’s design? -Who is included in this narrative? -Who is excluded from this narrative? -What is the function of the narrative? Who might be helped by this narrative? Who might be hurt by this narrative? What is the monument made of? -Is there any special significance in the selection of materials for the monument? |
| Monument site | Where is the monument located? (absolute location)
How does the monument fit in with surrounding spaces? (relative location) Has the monument site changed–has the monument been moved? |
| Monument inscriptions | What words or symbols are inscribed on the monument?
What message or narrative is told or supported by these inscriptions? |
| Monument connections | At the time of its dedication, how did the monument relate to:
-The immediate, local community? -Other monuments? -Society at large? |
| Monument afterlife | How has the monument been used since its dedication?
Has the monument been continually used in the same fashion? -If not, how has the community’s use of the monument been adapted? Is the monument viewed as a local landmark? |
adapted from Gerald A. Danzer, Public Places: Exploring Their History. Nearby History. (Nashville, TN: American Association for State and Local History, 1987), 5-14.