By Cindy Inkrote
A tall and impressive monument stands in the eastern section of Sunbury’s Cameron Park, named for Colonel James Cameron, whose life-size statue graces the monument’s top. Cameron was the first soldier of his rank from Northumberland County to lose his life in the Civil War. He died at the age of 60 while commanding the Cameronian Highlanders, the 79th New York Regiment, at the Battle of Bull Run.
Alexander Jordan and Simon Cameron, brother of James Cameron and Secretary of War, believed recognition of the efforts of the Northumberland County men who gave their lives for the Union cause in the Civil War was in order. They formed the Northumberland County Soldiers’ Monument Association on May 25, 1872. The Court of Common Pleas of Northumberland County incorporated the association on Aug. 5, 1873.
During a Masonic ritual on May 30, 1874, county residents laid the cornerstone of the Soldiers’ Monument. After several delays in completing the memorial’s work, the formal unveiling and dedication took place on July 4th, 1879, with a gala parade which included various military and civic organizations, Grand Army of the Republic posts, and fire companies which drew more than 10,000 spectators.
In the mid-1990s, Garry Leister of Sunbury spearheaded fund-raising efforts to restore the park’s war memorials and contractors secured the Soldiers’ Monument with an iron fence and restored Colonel Cameron’s statue.
The city rededicated the monument in 1996 and the festivities included a parade complete with Highlanders and bagpipes.
This year marks the 130th anniversary of the monument’s dedication. After all this time, the striking memorial remains the park’s focal point and the words inscribed in it “Erected to the memory of the gallant soldiers of Northumberland County who fell in the battles of the Great Rebellion” serve as a constant reminder of those before us who made the supreme sacrifice.
-- Cindy Inkrote is the director of The Northumberland County Historical Society. The Northumberland County Historical Society’s Genealogical Library and Historical Research Center is located at 1150 N. Front St., Sunbury. For more information call 286-4083.
