Fundraising Brick Campaign for the Restoration of the G.A.R. Sundial at the Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Pioneers’ Monument
Hosted by Fundraising Brick
Engraved Brick Order Deadline: December 31, 2024
For additional information regarding our engraved brick campaign, please contact
Kathleen Stuckey Fox at foxks@miamioh.edu or call (513) 593-1912.
Summarizing from an article in the Hamilton Journal and Daily News, dated, May 26, 1941, page 10: On May 26, 1941, a sundial was dedicated on the grounds near the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. The idea of the sundial had been conceived earlier when the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War desired to acknowledge Josephine Straub Weiler, mother of Stella Weiler Taylor, a.k.a. Lillian Estelle Weiler, by naming Tent Number 117 in Josephine’s honor. Members of the Weiler Tent donated a bronze sundial memorial, honoring the memory of the Grand Army of the Republic to the Monument, now referred to as the Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Pioneers’ Monument. Josephine Straub Weiler had worked tirelessly for almost twenty years to raise money to create this beautiful edifice dedicated in 1906.
Fast forward today: Hamilton native and historian, Kathleen Stuckey Fox, in partnering with the City of Hamilton, the Butler County Historical Society (a 501c3 entity), and the Hamilton Garden Club, has organized a committee to refurbish the once beautiful sundial memorial which stands today in Monument Park, close to the Monument and directly across from the newly renovated Anthony Wayne Apartments, now the Well House Hotel by Hilton. James Perkins, local artist and metal sculptor, will be performing the restoration.
We have contracted with Fundraising Brick in Missouri to raise money to accomplish the goal of $8100.00. As you can see from the above black and white middle photograph taken in 1941, how beautiful the sundial used to be. It obviously has been neglected over the years; see color photographs to the right of the black and white center picture.
What has to be done: the sundial needs to be dismantled and taken to James Perkins’ Metal Sculpture Studios, LLC, 3041 Symmes Road, Suite A, Hamilton, Ohio 45015, where he will hand polish it and create and install the necessary gnomon, then the sundial will be re-installed on a higher square cement block pedestal, and most importantly, it has to be rotated ninety degrees to the north to read the time correctly since the gnomon has to be pointing north in the northern hemisphere. The picture of the top of the sundial is inscribed as follows: TO HONOR OUR FATHERS, THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC, presented by TENT 117, DAUGHTERS OF UNION VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR 1861-1865, May 30, 1941.
The Fundraiser: New engraved brick pavers are $100 each and are tax deductible. You write your own inscription. Your contribution will pay for all that is necessary to complete and update the long-neglected sundial which embodies so much Hamilton history, as well as to create a beautiful brick pad on which you will step in order to view the newly positioned sundial, around which will be planted lavender flowers, lavender being Josephine’s and Stella’s favorite color and flower. Since the sundial is in Monument Park directly across from Well House Hotel, the area will be visited by thousands of travelers to Hamilton throughout the years and will add much to the dignity of the other historic structures there. Helping support our cause to restore the neglected G.A.R./Weiler Sundial will not only bring an historical and meaningful sundial back to life, but by purchasing your engraved brick paver you will also leave your name in perpetuity on the history books of our beloved Hamilton. Stella Weiler Taylor and her mother, Josephine, would be so proud, for in their lifetime here in Hamilton they contributed so much to the richness of our heritage. There are plans in progress to have the newly refurbished sundial rededicated in the spring of 2025.
To begin, complete the required fields indicated by the *, then enter your inscription and click on the next button at the bottom of the form: You will be directed to the confirmation page to confirm your inscription. After you have confirmed your inscription, click the submit form button at the bottom right of the page. Please enter the text exactly as you want it to appear on the brick. You do not need to center the text; the laser software will automatically center the inscription. If you would like to order more than one brick you will need to fill out a new order form for each brick that you would like to order.