Pulaski Monument
Pulaski Monument
Pulaski Monument
Pulaski Monument
Savannah, GA 31401
The Casimir Pulaski Monument is a tall statue of a wounded soldier which pays tribute to General Casimir Pulaski, a young Polish nobleman who fell as a hero during the American Revolution. The cornerstone of the Casimir Pulaski Monument was placed during ceremonies on the afternoon of Oct. 11, 1853.
The monument was designed to be fifty-five feet high. The two steps and lower plinth was to be made of granite; the remainder of the monument was to be made with the finest Italian marble, in solid blocks weighing from one to six tons. The monument was to be carved in the most artistically and workmanlike manner and was to rest on a solid foundation six feet deep, or more, if the soil required it.
The monument was originally carved in Italy and shipped to America in pieces. The monument was originally constructed in 34 Carrara marble pieces standing on a mufti-piece granite base. It was erected in 1854 in Monterey Square adjacent to the famous Mercer House in the heart of Savannah’s Historic District.
By the late 1900's the monument was in desperate need of restoration. While disassembling the granite base of the monument a small metal box was discovered. Although later DNA testing was inconclusive, an engraved stone covering the box bore an inscription leading authorities to believe the remains of General Casimir Pulaski, the man to whom the Pulaski Monument is dedicated, were located in the box.
