The Our Lady of Victories monument sits in monument square in Portland. It was erected in 1891 to commemorate the men lost in the Civil War which ended in 1865. It is also known as the Soldier's and Sailor's monument. On the base of the statue is inscribed, "Portland To Her sons Who Died For the Union." It wasn't very easy to find information on this monument but I did find out that it was designed in Rome by Franklin Simmons in the form of the Goddess Minerva and that it's made from bronze.When I visited the monument on December 10th around 3:30 in the afternoon, there were a few people around it. Some were looking at it and others were using it as a seat to eat. Whenever I have driven by the site in the afternoons though, it's always bustling with people eating their lunches and using the square. I think that the statue has become such a big part of the area that people may use it every day without really knowing what it is. The square does get a lot of use for events such as walks for Breast Cancer and other community events as it is one of those landmarks that people from out of town as well as inhabitants of Portland can locate easily and know well.
This is a photo of the monument and the square in 1902.
This is the mold used in 1890 to create the statue.
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