Your Town Tuesday: Holdingford Is Home To The Oldest WWII Monument In The Country [VIDEO]

HOLDINGFORD - Today our "Your Town Tuesday" series takes us to the community of Holdingford.

The town has the distinction of having the nation's very first World War II monument. It was dedicated on September 6th, 1942.

Holdingford Historical Society President Herman Ebnet says over 540 loads of fieldstones from area farmers were used in the construction. He says, "two older timers I talked to were Lloyd Feder and Jim Czech, they told me that they helped their parents haul the rock in here. This was kind of the dream of Father Kromolicki to have a monument for the soldiers."

It's estimated 5,000 people attended the dedication ceremony, including then-Governor Harold Stassen.

The four crosses on the shrine are in memory of four men from Holdingford who died in the war.

Ebnet says, 72 years after it's dedication, it's still a source of pride for Holdingford. He says, "It's pride, yes. The people have taken a lot of interest in it, and we keep it up. There's an outdoor mass here once in a while..."

The monument is across from St. Hedwig's church, and is maintained by parishioners, as well as other community members.

Tune-in next Tuesday when we features stories from Avon in our "Your Town Tuesday" series.