The 100th anniversary of Henryetta’s beloved Doughboy statue will be celebrated this Sunday.
The 100th anniversary of Henryetta’s beloved Doughboy statue will be celebrated this Sunday.
The Nov. 26 event will be held on the steps of the Henryetta Library, 518 W. Main, at 2 p.m. and will be hosted by the Henryetta Historical Society (School House Museum).
“There will be a Tribute to our American Veterans, and a brief history of how we were fortunate to acquire one of the several Doughboys that were distributed throughout the USA,” Marcus Whitworth of the Henryetta Historical Society said.
There will be two miniature Doughboy statues on hand for viewing. Each attendee will receive a 100th Anniversary Commemorative Photo of the Doughboy as he stood at 4th & Main Streets Downtown.
All are welcome! If anyone has questions or histor- ically significant information about our Doughboy, please contact Marcus Whitworth, Sr. at 918-652-1358.
--- History of the Doughboy
From the Henryetta Public Library website The local posts of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, along with local veterans and enlisted personnel, joined together in 1923 to raise funds to purchase a “Spirit of the American Doughboy” statue as a memorial to local boys who died in World War I. More than $1,400 was raised and the bronze statue was ordered. Scheduled to arrive in Henryetta for the Armistice celebration on November 11, 1923, it did not arrive until November 26, 1923.
The decision was made to put the statue in the middle of the Fourth and Main intersection and plans began to build a suitable base on which to display the Doughboy. The bronze statue was finally in place and unveiled in a public celebration on Saturday, July 4, 1925. A large parade led the crowd to the Fourth and Main location. The Honorary Barclay Morgan and George Riley Hall, founder and editor of the Henryetta Free-Lance, made speeches. VFW Post Commander Harry Reingold supervised the unveiling of the statue by Mrs. George Cullen, whose son died in the war. The celebration was completed by a mock battle on the hill north of town.
The Doughboy proudly stood guard in the center of the Fourth and Main until 1970. In 1969 the City Council approved moving the statue to the corner of Sixth and Main Streets where it would stand on the corner of the Public Library property after a suitable base was constructed. A bronze plaque was added to the base of the statue in 1991.
