MEMORIAL — The Mooretown Soldiers Memorial in Ross Township was erected in 1871 but was given a new life around 2010 thanks to local citizens Curtis and Virginia Glenn and a number of helpers and benefactors. -- Christopher Dacanay

ROSS TOWNSHIP — About three miles east outside Bergholz on county Road 53, there sits a solemn monument to Jefferson County men who gave their lives in the Civil War.

In place for more than a century and a half, the monument has been worn by time and other factors, but efforts during the last two decades from concerned citizens and benefactors have given it a new life.

The Mooretown Soldiers Monument sits on a hillside and occupies a little more than an acre overlooking county Road 53, or Bergholz New Somerset Road. It consists of a flagpole bearing Old Glory, a tall memorial stone engraved with names, a number of historical markers and plaques and a genuine union Parrott rifle — a 4,200-pound cannon designed to launch 30-pound shots up to 2.4 miles.

The monument is a “local icon,” according to Virginia Glenn, a Ross Township farmer and local history enthusiast. It was established in 1871 and dedicated to the boys and men of Ross Township who died from either injuries or disease during the Civil War.

A wealthy couple, Robert and Martha McLaughlin George, established the monument in honor of their son, Thomas, who died at the age of 25 during the war, Glenn said. Cpl. Thomas George was killed Oct. 8, 1862, during the Battle of Perryville in Kentucky, and it’s said that he died while sitting up against a tree, mortally wounded by three bullets.

Thomas George’s name is among 41 others inscribed on the memorial stone. Many of those men were members of Company K Pickaway Company of the Second Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Commanded by Capt. David Mitchell, the company initially mustered July 17, 1861, under President Abraham Lincoln’s 90-day enlistment call following the attack on Fort Sumter.

Glenn said the 90-day call was made with the assumption that fighting would conclude in three months, but when that period ended, many of the men re-enlisted and were scattered among other regiments. With volunteers hailing from areas like Holt — formerly known as Mitchell’s Salt Works — and Yellow Creek, Company K fought in many battles, including Perryville; Stone River, Tenn., and Chickamauga, Ga., as well as in the Atlanta campaign.

The Ross Township volunteers were simple farm boys who initially enlisted together, Glenn said, adding that some died from disease during the war due to not having developed any immunity.

“These were young kids,” Glenn said. “Up the ridges, the boys all came in (to the service) together. They were buddies, they were friends, they churched together.”

The monument’s name comes from Mooretown, the former community that surrounded it, Glenn said.

The story goes that the monument’s soft sandstone was carved from a local quarry and etched with the names of the men. The monument stood for years, taken care of by local veterans. Glenn has a commendation written 30 years after the Civil War that lists the veteran-caretakers, including her great-grandfather John Boyd and great-uncle William Casey.

In the 1950s, the monument was damaged by a coal company that was looking to mine the area, Glenn said. The company subsequently replaced parts with a harder sandstone. Thomas George, a descendant of the George family, later paid for additional patchwork.

Glenn herself was raised in Bergholz but spent time away due to her military family upbringing. She recalled playing by the monument and the nearby iron bridge when she was younger. At that time, the monument was “well taken care of” by Thomas George.

The monument re-entered Glenn’s life in 2010, when she and her husband, Curtis Glenn, heard that someone had allegedly tried to steal the cannon. Formerly fired every Memorial Day, the cannon had since been decommissioned and placed on a cement block due to its casing and wheels having deteriorated.

After a short drive down the road, the Glenns found the cannon rolled over onto the ground. Rather than an attempted theft, the Glenns believe the cement block had simply given way and the cannon had rolled over. While there, the Glenns noticed the monument’s sorry shape and decided to fix it up.

They began by clearing the briars, which had gown well out of control — Virginia Glenn would tie herself with a rope that went around the memorial, holding her up so she could work on the hillside planting bed. The Glenns also cut down trees planted at the monument, which had gown so large that they afforded little visibility of the monument itself.

Additions included sandstone barriers around the site, a fence along the road and benches and picnic tables added. The original flagpole was replaced, and would later be replaced again within the last year, paid for by Cathy Schultz and constructed by her nephew.

The Parrott rifle — originally captured by Confederates and held in Virginia until being purchased by Robert George — was placed on the original stone with the names of the Ross Township soldiers. It received a new cradle and was sandblasted and painted by Cryogenics Construction Inc.

Virginia Glenn worked to secure an Ohio historical marker with facts about the monument and its history.

Making the monument’s revival possible were a number of helpers, including Ted George, another George family descendant, Glenn recalled. Additionally, the names of major donors are inscribed on a nearby stone: The Jefferson County commissioners recreation fund, the Charles M. and Thelma M. Pugliese Chairtable Foundation, the Bergholz Community Foundation, the Michael J. Dunleavy Foundation, the Ross Township Board of Trustees and the Ohio History Connection.

After a year of work, Glenn celebrated with a Memorial Day dedication in 2011. She decorated the monument with flowers, replicating an 1896 photo taken of the monument with its caretaker-veterans. Around 500 people attended the dedication, which featured a band, historical re-enactors, catered meal and guest speakers.

Following an initial notice from then-Commissioner Thomas Graham, the commissioners paid for the monument to undergo new patch job and cleaning by Angelina Stone and Marble, Glenn said.

Years later, the Glenns still return to the monument each week to pick up garbage, while Ross Township pays for regular landscaping.

Fixing the monument is not the only historical preservation project Virginia Glenn has taken on. She’s also reprinted historical books, finishing her “Follow the Yellow Crick Road” history of Yellow Creek, helped restore 50 framed Jefferson Union High School class composites with the help of Nelson Fine Art and Gifts and coordinated the New Somerset school bell’s move to Knoxville Park.

Herself an encyclopedia of local history, Glenn said she believes “everyone has a story,” and she’s tried to research the men whose names are on the Mooretown Soldiers Monument stone as much as possible.

Knowing history and preserving it important to her and husband, Glenn said, adding “If you don’t know where you come from, you don’t know where you’re going to.”