Doughboy Memorial

The Doughboy was purchased by the American Legion and dedicated November 11, 1920. The original location where the unveiling had taken place that Armistice Day had been in the middle of the intersection of Leonard and Fourth Streets where the memorial could be a center of pride for the town and a reminder of the servicemen who gave their lives for our freedom.

All the services that November day in 1920 were given in the Opera House and the building was crowded to its utmost capacity with people filled with inspiration for the occasion; had the weather been warmer and the roads a little smoother it is safe to say a record breaking crowd would have been in town. After supper the Opera House was again crowded to witness the war moving pictures, after which the Legion pulled off a “bombardment” on the hills south of town. The program was concluded with a big dance in the Opera house. Music for the celebration was rendered by a bank comprised of all the remaining players of the old Onaga band.

In June of 1957, the State Highway Department met with the City to discuss repairing Onaga’s main street. In return for state aid, city officials were asked to remove the doughboy memorial from the center of the road as it was considered a hazard. The state provided a new base and the monument and its flagpole were moved to a corner lot just northwest of the intersection where it can be admired today.