"The Spirit of the American Doughboy" Memorial

The Spirit of the American Doughboy statue was designed by sculptor E. M. Viquesney in 1920 and reproduced in many forms over the years. At least 153 full size statues were erected in the United States, and around 35,000 5 to 11 inch plaster figures were made and sold.

In 1925, Washington County Board members began the process of creating a soldiers memorial. By 1927, they had chosen a plan put forth by L.P. Gehl & Sons, Inc. of Hartford for an estimated cost of $4,000 which included The Spirit of the American Doughboy at its center. The County Board of Supervisors voted to dedicate $3,900 of the estimated $4,000 needed to the statue. When veteran names began to be recorded for bronze plaques attached to the statue's plinth, it was found that they had underestimated the number of veterans in the County and the cost rose to $5,300. Private citizens were asked to donate at least $2 each and even children were enlisted to raise funds and were asked to give between 2 and 10 cents each. The children's campaign contributed $253.47.

One of the greatest challenges of erecting the memorial was gathering the names of all Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I veterans from the County. Appeals were published in newspapers, announced at Legion meetings and sent through the mail. Although a great effort was put into including everyone, some names were left out.

The statue was dedicated on Memorial Day 1927 to an estimated crowd of 12,000 people. The accompanying parade had 3,000-4,000 participants and stretched a mile long. It incorporated six bands, two drum corps, service men, firemen, school children, officials, Camp Fire Girls, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts and families of veterans. The statue was then unveiled and several speakers and bands played at the dedication program. The entire program was recorded on film, which was later shown at the Mermac Theater in downtown West Bend.

In 1999 the statue was removed from its base and taken to Celestial Stone Foundry and Forge in Madison, WI for extensive restoration. The restoration found the statue was made of multiple sheets of brass which had been pounded into molds and fitted together. The ground on which the statue stands was filled with concrete. As the concrete expanded and contracted with the seasons, it caused the brass to split. By the 1960s, the statue had also been covered in gold paint and its bayonet was missing. Restoration work mended the splits, removed the paint, recast the bayonet and covered the Doughboy in a protective lacquer. The statue was returned to its plinth and was rededicated on Memorial Day in 2000.

Silvers, Amy Rabideau. "Sculpting Valor." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI) May 15th 2000.

Uncredited. "Soldiers' Memorial Dedicated Sunday." West Bend Pilot (West Bend, WI) November 17th 1927.

Goldsmith , Earl D.. The Spirit of the American Doughboy, The E.M. Viquesney Doughboy Database. Accessed February 10th 2021. https://doughboysearcher.weebly.com/.