March 26, 2024

Reese-Hyman Post 96 of The American Legion, Burkhalter Chapter, NSDAR (National Society Daughters of the American Revolution), and Paul Lowe and his staff at Lowe Vault and Monument Company, have completed the relocation of the World War I Monument to the Courthouse grounds in Warrenton.

Shortly after the end of World War I, an effort was started by the school children of Warren County under the direction of the Warrenton Civic Club to erect a monument to the seven men and two women whose lives were lost in The Great War. Over the course of two years the school children of Warren County raised money, mostly pennies, and in 1920 the monument was erected in front of the old Warrenton Senior High School on Academy Street. The names of all children who donated money were published in the Warrenton Clipper. 

Following the removal of the old school building in the early 1990s the monument was relocated to the Warren County Board of Education office next door. This property was later sold to First Baptist Church Warrenton when the Board of Education office was moved to Gibson Road.

Barely legible now, for over one hundred years the monument sat on a white marble foundation with the inscription “Erected 1920 by the school children of Warren County under the direction of the Warrenton Civic Club.”

In the second half of 2023, the monument was permanently relocated to the Courthouse grounds, once again becoming a part of history. This relocation project not only preserves our past but also serves as an educational opportunity for today’s schoolchildren. They were encouraged to contribute funds to support this endeavor. The names of every student who participated this time are also part of our history, alongside those of the school children from over a century ago.

To preserve the old base and monument a new foundation stone was made with the inscription “Relocated 2023 by the School Children of Warren County under the direction of Reese-Hyman Post 96, American Legion and Burkhalter Chapter, NSDAR.”

The men and women who gave their lives serving our country during The Great War were honored during a special program when the statute was rededicated on Veterans Day, November 11, 2023. Reese-Hyman Post 96 American Legion has located the graves of all seven men and two women whose names are inscribed on the monument. More information about these veterans is available here .