Unveiling and dedication of the Listening Post sculpture and memorial wall, Veterans Day, November 11, 1926
Sculptor Charles Keck was hired by the City to create a monument to those killed during World War I (or “the Great War”). His bronze sculpture The Listening Post (or The Doughboy) was unveiled on Veterans Day in 1926 at the base of Monument Terrace.
The Doughboy figure is often incorrectly perceived as resting or being “at ease.” However, quite the opposite, he is depicted on duty at a military listening post, a position specifically established to detect enemy movements. The figure is alert and tense (see his left hand), ready to take action if necessary, and symbolic of the vigilance and readiness of America to defend democracy at home and abroad. Keck’s concept was uncanny in its foreshadowing of the second world war only 15 years later.
Inscribed on the wall behind the statue are local military unit designations and the names of 43 local men killed during the war. Following contemporary custom, the list is segregated by race, with two “Colored” soldiers (Franklin and Jones) identified after their White counterparts.
Keck designed many other statues, including two in Charlottesville, Virginia, that were removed in 2021: General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and explorers Lewis and Clark with Sacajawea.