Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Allentown, Guida per visitatori e cosa fare nei dintorni

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument stands in Center Square, where Hamilton Street crosses 7th Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It honours the Union soldiers from Allentown and the surrounding Lehigh Valley who died in the Civil War, and it has marked the middle of the city since 1899.

The story behind it

Allentown's centre was set by its founder. In 1762 William Allen, a Philadelphia shipping merchant, laid out the town. The main street ran along what is now 7th Street and was first called Allen Street. Where it met Hamilton Street, the town's centre took shape, and Center City is still described as centred on those two streets. For much of the 20th century, Hamilton Street around the square was the city's main shopping district.

The monument was dedicated in 1899 as a memorial to local men who left from this town and did not come home. A figure representing the Goddess of Liberty stands at the top. She has not always been there. By 1957 the statue was in such bad repair that it was taken down, and the column stood without her for several years. A replacement went up in 1964, so the Liberty you see today is the second, the first having spent nearly sixty years above the square.

What to look for

• Look up at the figure of Liberty on top of the column, and remember that it is a 1964 replacement for the original.
• Notice how the monument sits in the middle of the crossing of Hamilton and 7th Streets, the point from which the city grew.
• Look down 7th Street from the square and picture it as Allen Street, the founder's own main street, before it became a numbered road.
• Glance along Hamilton Street in each direction to see the old commercial streetscape that once made this the city's shopping heart.

Tips for your visit

• The monument is a public memorial in an open square, so you view it from outside and can stop at any time of day.
• Ten to fifteen minutes is enough to look it over and read the surroundings, longer if you want to wander the streets nearby.
• Daylight is best, when the figure on top stands out clearly against the sky.
• Use the square as a starting point for exploring Hamilton Street and the blocks around it on foot. Check current opening hours for any shops or buildings you plan to enter.

See it on a quest

Ghost Hunt in Allentown is a good way to take in the square as one stop on a longer walk through the area. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot, so you look at the streets more closely. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Allentown brings you to the monument on foot as part of a route through the centre of town. At each place the app gives you the background, then sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

Allentown Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. suits anyone who likes a detective theme with their sightseeing. You walk from stop to stop, hear about each place as you reach it and solve a puzzle there. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.