A nearly 150 year old Civil War memorial has been moved to a new home in the Frazier International History Museum. Known as the "Bloedner Monument," it has spent most of its years in Cave Hill National Cemetery, but was moved indoors recently because of weather-related deterioration. It was created by Union Private August Bloedner to honor his fellow soldiers killed in the Battle of Rowlett's Station near Munfordville, Kentucky in December of 1861. All were members of the 32nd Indiana Infantry, a unit made up of German immigrants.Historian Alec Bennett with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says it's the nation's oldest existing Civil War memorial."There is a record of a monument being installed in the Battle of First Manassas in Virginia, but that monument was lost a year after it was installed," he said.Bennett says such relocation projects don't occur very often."Moving monuments out of cemeteries is something that we do not do very regularly...it is extremely rare. We decided to do it with this particular monument because it has exceptional historic significance," he said.The memorial will remain at the Frazier Museum for at least ten years.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.