Soldier’s Monument at Lownsdale Square on February 15, 2010
The northern Plaza Block is called Lownsdale Square. It is named for Daniel H. Lownsdale (1803-1862), a prominent landowner, civic leader and philanthropist who arrived in Portland from Kentucky in 1845 and took a 640-acre land claim that included most of what is now downtown Portland. Lownsdale surveyed and sold property from this claim, starting the growth of the city and establishing the layout of downtown that remains to this day.
Soldier’s Monument at Lownsdale Square on February 15, 2010
Lownsdale promoted the construction of the Great Plank Road to the farmland in the Tualatin Valley and donated Lownsdale Square and the Park Blocks to the city. A marker honoring Lownsdale was placed here by the Lang Syne Society of Portland in 1990.
Soldier’s Monument at Lownsdale Square on February 15, 2010
In the center of Lownsdale Square is the Soldiers' Monument, a memorial to Oregon soldiers lost during the Spanish-American War. The granite obelisk is topped with a bronze sculpture of a soldier by Douglas Tilden. The monument was "erected by the citizens of Oregon to the dead of the Second Oregon United States Volunteer Infantry" in 1904, or at least the granite obelisk was. The bronze statue may not have been completed until 1906. The completed Soldiers' Monument was reportedly dedicated on May 31, 1906.
Fort Sumter Cannon at Lownsdale Square on February 15, 2010
At the base of the Soldiers' Memorial are two Howitzer cannons used in the defense of Fort Sumter in 1861 during the Civil War. They were provided by Colonel Henry E. Dosch. One faces north and the other south referencing the fact that Fort Sumter was controlled by both sides during the Civil War. On their plaque, Sumter is misspelled as "Sumpter," which incidentally is the correct spelling of the name of a town in eastern Oregon.
Company H Fountain at Lownsdale Square on February 15, 2010
On the west side of Lownsdale Square is the Fountain for Company H, in honor of Company H of the Second Oregon Volunteers for service in the Philippines from May 15, 1898 to August 7, 1899. It was dedicated to the city by their mothers, sisters and wives in 1914. Architectural draftsman John H. Beaver won the honor of designing the limestone fountain in a contest.
Men’s Restroom at Lownsdale Square on February 15, 2010
Lownsdale Square also contains a men's restroom. At one time, Lownsdale Square was intended specifically for men, while the other Plaza Block, Chapman Square, was intended for women and children and features a women's restroom. The gender separation of the two blocks no longer remains but the separate restroom buildings do.
Continue to Chapman Square…
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