Memorial Restoration Initiative
Since 2015, Sculpture Valley and the City of Appleton have worked together to preserve and restore Appleton’s historic war memorials, monuments and markers. These projects protect important pieces of our community’s history and ensure they remain part of Appleton’s public landscape for generations to come.
New cast bronze Doughboy dedicated Nov 11, 2017.
New Centanial Memorial Designation and Doughboys of Outamaimie County plaque.
"Spirit of the American Doughboy" by E.M. Viquesney
The “Spirit of the American Doughboy” memorial by E. M. Viquesney was erected in the Memorial Drive median on November 11, 1934, by American Legion Post No. 38. It honors Outagamie County soldiers who served in World War I.
The Doughboy was nearly destroyed in 1986 when it was struck by a car, breaking it from its pedestal and severely damaging the sculpture. American Legion members and Appleton Lamplighters reassembled it, replacing the missing rifle and bayonet and reinforcing the damaged legs with treated cement.
By 2006, decades of Wisconsin freeze-thaw cycles had taken their toll. The Post-Crescent and American Legion raised more than $25,000 for another restoration, and the sculpture was sent to Jensen Conservation Services in Omaha. It returned to Appleton and was rededicated on November 11, 2006.
The underlying problem, however, was the sculpture itself. Unlike Viquesney’s earlier multilayered copper Doughboys, this later version was made from a far more fragile zinc alloy. Within several years, deterioration had returned. Sculpture Valley documented the monument’s failing condition and recommended that the original eventually be moved indoors. Jensen Conservation performed an interim restoration in 2014, but by spring 2016 the newly refinished surface was again cracking and flaking.
A subsequent conservation assessment confirmed that the long-term solution was to cast a new bronze replica and preserve the vulnerable 1934 original indoors. City funding was secured for the project, and Max-Cast Foundry in Kalona, Iowa, molded and cast the replacement in bronze for just under $30,000.
Sculpture Valley also secured a matching grant through the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission’s 100 Cities/100 Memorials program. Additional support from local veterans organizations and community donors funded a new designation and dedication plaque recognizing 116 Outagamie County Doughboys who never returned home.
On November 11, 2017—83 years to the day after the original dedication—the new bronze Doughboy was dedicated before a crowd gathered on a snowy Veterans Day. The ceremony concluded with veterans, color guard members and attendees marching to the Outagamie County Courthouse for the community’s annual Veterans Day observance.
"Soldier's Memorial" by Trentanove
For decades, the Soldier's Memorial suffered from the effects of weathering, vandalism and the loss of many of its original elements. Inscriptions had become difficult to read, portions of the sculpture were missing, and both the bronze monument and marble base required conservation.
Sculpture Valley documented the monument's condition as part of its community-wide memorial survey. In 2015, conservator Laura Kubick of KCI Conservation evaluated the memorial and developed recommendations for its restoration.
The bronze sculpture was subsequently restored, including the recreation and replacement of numerous missing elements. The flag finial, scabbard, sword and rifle barrel were replicated and returned to the monument, restoring details that had been absent for many years.
Work remains to be done. The historic marble base has not undergone a comprehensive restoration and continues to show deterioration, including grinding marks and areas of spalling and material loss. Conservation of the marble remains an important future preservation need.
Spanish American War Memorial
Appleton's Spanish-American War Memorial was dedicated at Soldier's Square in 1915, incorporating an original USS Maine memorial plaque and two Napoleon cannons. The plaque was one of approximately 1,000 created from salvaged metal associated with the famed battleship and distributed to communities across the country.
The memorial's fortunes changed as downtown evolved. In the late 1930s, it was removed from Soldier's Square to make way for parking and relocated to Pierce Park in a new chain-and-bollard enclosure. Its cannons were subsequently surrendered during the 1943 wartime scrap drive, and the original plaque later disappeared. Over the following decades, what remained of the memorial deteriorated significantly.
In 2014, Sculpture Valley located and purchased an original USS Maine plaque at auction. The plaque was restored and used to create a mold for replacement castings before ownership was transferred to the City of Appleton. Two replacement cannons were also cast by Hern Iron Works, giving the City essential missing elements needed for an eventual restoration.
Efforts to return the memorial to its historic home at Soldier's Square have continued for years but remain unresolved. Several Common Council initiatives sought to restore the square's historic role as a civic and memorial space and return the Spanish-American War Memorial as part of that effort. The larger revitalization has yet to move forward.
Today, the memorial awaits restoration. Renewed interest has again raised the possibility of returning it to Soldier's Square, while its present location—now within Veterans Memorial Park—offers another historically appropriate setting.
Whatever its ultimate location, the goal remains unchanged: restore the monument, reunite it with its surviving and replicated historic elements, and ensure this nearly forgotten piece of Appleton history is preserved for another century.