"The Centralia Massacre and its Monument" Centralia Local Custom Tip by glabah

On November 11, 1919 there was a special parade prepared in honor of the 1st Anniversary of Amistice Day. As there were quite a number of veterans from this war in Centralia, it was probably a fairly substantial celebration.

Unfortunately, a series of events unfolded of which the exact nature has been lost to history, but the basic story has survived, though news accounts in the press tended to be severely troublesome in meddling in political affairs. It is quite likely that news accounts of the time are severely biased. Four World War I veterans, all still quite young, were killed in the civil disturbance that occurred, and vigilante mobs counteracted with killings of their own. The series of events came to be called the Centralia Massacre and turned into an extensive newspaper feast by the national press.

In 1924, a memorial statue to the memory of the veterans killed during the unrest was placed in George Washington Park. It is Alonzo Victor Lewis's statue titled The Sentinel.

The monument features the names of the veterans killed on the front, and quotes and decroations on all sides of the monument. The names of the other two people killed during the unrest have been left off of the monument. The monument sits at the end of the Freedom Walk that was placed here to honor other veterans.

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia_Massacre_(Washington)