In true Hill City fashion, Lynchburg’s “public square” is a vertical series of terraces climbing one city block from Church to Court Streets. Although it was conceived as a grand war memorial, Monument Terrace is also a practical set of pedestrian steps that connect two busy downtown streets, the Lynchburg Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, First Unitarian Church, and Mr. Elder’s Rose Garden. The National Register for Historic Places describes Monument Terrace as “one of the most impressive urban focal points in Virginia.” The entire ensemble of terraces, with the Doughboy statue and pool at the bottom and the 1855 Old Court House at the top, is the iconic heart of downtown Lynchburg.

Despite its massive stonework and imposing heights, Monument Terrace is a lively crossroads of urban life in Lynchburg. Tourists taking photographs along the terraces mingle with employees walking between businesses, downtown residents climbing the steps for exercise, brides taking formal portraits, a weekly veterans rally, and occasional vigils, marches, protests, and gatherings for every type of cause.

History

Monument Terrace was first developed as a public space in the early 1880’s. August Forsberg, the city engineer, was asked to provide a better route for citizens to move along the steep hill between Church and Court Streets. Forsberg designed a series of steps and landings down from Court Street that culminated in a large semicircular staircase at the intersection of Ninth and Church Streets. In the center of the stairs he planned a simple iron fountain.

On May 30, 1883, Lynchburg experienced a tragic fire in which five firemen were killed. Forsberg’s simple fountain was redesigned to add a fireman’s statue as a memorial to the men who lost their lives. This began Monument Terrace’s long history of honoring those from Lynchburg who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

In the early 1920s, energized by the new “city manager” form of local government, Lynchburg decided to update Monument Terrace and honor 43 men who were killed during World War I. Designed by local architect Aubrey Chesterman, the new plan called for parallel staircases to frame the statue area and to remove the Fireman’s Fountain.

Ultimately, the Fountain was replaced by a bronze statue by Charles Keck, officially known as The Listening Post. Commonly referred to as The Doughboy, it depicts a typical World War I infantry soldier. The names of the 43 dead are etched behind the soldier. The statue was dedicated on November 11, 1926 “in honor of the men of Lynchburg, Virginia, who served in the World War, 1914-1918.”

In 1986, as part of the city’s bicentennial anniversary celebrations, new memorials for World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War were added to three of the “empty” terraces. Following the design of the World War I memorial, the new memorials included the names of every local man who died in each war. Since 2000, additional memorials for prisoners of war (POW), those missing in action (MIA), and Purple Heart recipients have been installed. Plans are underway now for the creation of a new memorial for those who died in the Gulf War and War on Terror (2001–2021).