News - Local/State

Saturday, May. 24, 2008

Veterans' memorial to be built

Tall brick sculpture to be highlight of new garden

Saundra Adkins, president of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2889 ladies auxiliary, looked out Friday at an empty field on Edgemont Avenue in Rock Hill.

The half-acre stretch is the future home of a Glencairn Garden expansion that will honor veterans in the same spirit as does Adkins, who lost several of her brothers in military service.

Plans for a veterans' memorial were celebrated Friday at the garden's Learning Center. The memorial, located across the creek from the garden entrance on Edgemont, will honor past, present and future men and women in the armed forces.

A wall "as high as it can go" will be the main element of the new garden, architect Howell Beach said. The brick memorial, between 14 and 16 feet tall, will honor the five branches of the military -- Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marine Corps -- with arches, emblems and plaques.

A U.S. flag will face the street, and a lawn area will be open for memorial services. A plaque will tell the history of Rock Hill, its mills and its veterans, and how they have come together to make a community.

The cost of the project hasn't been specified. Beach presented the conceptual design to city officials, veterans and other community members during Friday's announcement. He soon will begin working on the construction drawings and design work.

Beach said the plan isn't to have a garden, then a memorial, but a memorial that is part of the garden. Old sewer lines will be replaced, then a bridge will be built to connect the future garden to the present.

Adkins said veterans have long deserved the acknowledgement.

"At least they finally got thought of," she said about the thousands of veterans she celebrates every day, including her brothers. "Our comrades have needed this for a long time."

Other planned Glencairn additions include two showcase gardens near the Bigger House and three ponds and a wheelchair-accessible sidewalk along the fountain area on Edgemont. Construction is expected to start in the next few months on those features.

Matt Clinton, the garden supervisor, said he hopes the veterans' garden will be finished by 2010. Construction is expected to start at the beginning of next year.

The future site of the garden memorial, for now, is outlined with miniature U.S. flags. Adkins says the tiny flag markers are the start of an important recognition.