Be sure to include a visit to the Indianapolis Soldiers and Sailors Monument on your list of fun things to do this holiday season. Beginning the day after Thanksgiving, the monument in the city’s Circle Center transforms into a giant Christmas tree strung with nearly 5,000 lights and innumerable strands of garland. The evening’s festivities include performances by local talents, and culminate with a visit from Santa, the official tree lighting, and fireworks!
Indianapolis Soldiers and Sailors Monument:
- The Indianapolis Soldiers and Sailors Monument is the largest monument in the United States to be dedicated to the common soldier. It stands in the center of the city in Monument Circle.
- At 284.5 feet tall, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument is just 15 feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty.
- The monument took 12 years to complete and is crafted from Indiana limestone.
- Victory, the bronze figure at the top of the monument, faces south to welcome home soldiers returning from battle.
- The four statues at the corners of the monument represent the Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery and Navy.
- A box hidden in the cornerstone of the monument contains a list of Indiana soldiers who fought for the Union during the Civil War, a Civil-war battle flag, and a photograph of the monument’s designer Bruno Schmitz.
- The Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum is located in the lower level of the monument. It features photographs, documents, letters and artifacts from the approximately 200,000 Hoosier soldiers who fought during the Civil War.
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