Lincoln's Civil War monument stands at the intersection of Routes 2 and 6 in downtown Lincoln. Its inscription reads, “Erected in honor of the men of Lincoln who served their country in the war which preserved the Union, destroyed slavery and maintained the Constitution, 1861-1865.” The monument was dedicated on July 4,1887. It was built by Charles Stinchfield, whose family lived in the house now known as the Corro House (the home of the Lincoln Historical Society's museum. His father, Jacob Stinchfield, was one of Lincoln's early settlers. His house was built in 1836.

Charles Stinchfield in 1880.

Those of you who live in Lincoln drive by historically important sites every day! There are many homes here that date from the 1820s. Check out our History section for more on Lincoln's interesting past. 

The World War 1 "Doughboy" statue is one of two war memorials in downtown Lincoln. The other being the Stinchfield Civil War statue at the intersection of Main Street and Lee Road. Though it's been moved 90 degrees from its original location, and turned around to discourage teenage "cruising" a number of years ago, the "doughboy" is one of Lincoln's most recognizable landmarks.

Ground for the monument was broken on November 15th, 1926 on what was called then "Hay Scales Lot". Over 200 school children and many citizens of the town participated, accorded to Dr. Fellows' "History of Lincoln". Evidently it didn't take long to construct the monument, because that next spring, May 29th to be exact, the town held a Memorial Day service and dedication at the monument that afternoon. Maine's Governor Ralph Brewster was on hand to give the dedication speech. The Hon. William T. Gardiner presented the monument to the town, and it was unveiled by Lincoln area Civil War veterans. The 5th Infantry Band played music, there were prayers and speeches, and a benediction was given by a Rev. Mullin. How many people attended the ceremony is not recorded, but we can assume many if not most area citizens attended, as was the custom back then for these types of things.

And since another world-wide conflict was not anticipated, it was simply called the World War Memorial. Today, it is more commonly called the "doughboy" statue after the nickname given to American soldiers in World War 1. It now faces out West Broadway instead of toward Main Street.

Every spring flowers are planted around the monument, and throughout the year tourists can be seen, mainly in the summer months, taking photographs of this picturesque landmark. During election years political signs spring up and are usually taken quickly off the small plot of land out of consideration for what the monument stands for. "To the dead a tribute, To the living a memory, To posterity a token of devotion to the Flag of their Country." Out of respect, it is not to be used for any other purpose, and, for the most part it isn't.

Lincoln is one of the few towns in Maine that actually has a WW1 monument. We do not have a monument specifically related to any other wars our nation has been involved in. The latest war memorial was erected in 2006 and dedicated on August 27th of that year. It honors veterans of several conflicts and is located off of Goding Avenue. It's called the Lincoln Veteran's War Memorial.

So, there you have a brief history of the statue most of you who live in Lincoln, Maine see every day. To discover and explore more of Lincoln's rich and interesting history, I encourage you to visit the Lincoln Historical Society's museum located on West Broadway almost across the street from Lincoln's "Little Red School House" in School House Park.

- Lee Rand 

Footnote: ERNEST MOORE ("DICK") VIQUESNEY - August 5th, 1876 - October 4, 1946

WAS THE SCULPTOR OF "THE SPIRIT OF THE AMERICAN DOUGHBOY". To find out more about him go to http://doughboysearcher.weebly.com/e-m-viquesney-sculptor.html