LITTLE VALLEY — This will be the first Memorial Day since the group Citizens Advocating Memorial Preservation (C.A.M.P.) bought the Civil War Memorial and Historical Building at Court and Seventh streets.
In 2013, legislators voted to demolish the building and the adjacent former Board of Elections building.
The group worked for four years to get the Cattaraugus County Legislature to save Memorial, which until 2004 housed the County Museum.
Now, C.A.M.P. president Tom Stetz of Allegany said a brief Memorial Day ceremony will he held as the Little Valley Memorial Day Parade pauses on Court Street in front of the Memorial.
“The parade will stop in front of the Memorial and the band will play a patriotic song,” Stetz said last week. “We will place a wreath at the Memorial and I will say a few words.”
Stetz will briefly describe how Memorial Day came about after the Civil War.
The parade starts at 10 a.m. from the Little Valley fire hall. After stopping at the Civil War Memorial, the parade will proceed to the cemetery for the Memorial Day ceremony.
C.A.M.P. officially took possession of the Memorial Building last Oct. 4, after earlier submitting the only bid for the building, dedicated in 1914 to Civil War veterans. The group’s bid of $1,079 was eagerly accepted.
The group’s goal is to “Relight the Dome of Courage,” restoring the building to its glory days dating back to its dedication in 1914. Dedication photos show a glass dome atop the building, which C.A.M.P. seeks to recreate.
“We want people to know C.A.M.P owns the site and we are progressing to restore it,” Stetz said. “We applied for and received a Pomeroy grant for a historic marker at the site. Hopefully, it will be in place in time for this year’s 154th Regiment Descendants Reunion in August.”
Civil War historian and author Mark Dunkelman founded the 154th Regiment Descendants group 33 years ago and holds the reunion in different parts of the county each August.
On Aug. 25, descendants of members of the 154th “Hardtack” Regiment made up of Cattaraugus County volunteers will gather on the grounds of the Memorial and Historical Building for their reunion.
The town of Little Valley will hold its Bicentennial Celebration on Aug. 25 and 26.
The C.A.M.P. hosts will have a tent set up outside because the inside of the building is currently off limits due to asbestos in paint and plaster that flaked from the walls due to moisture.
C.A.M.P. officials are meeting with contractor Duggan & Duggan of Allegany to get an idea of maintenance work that needs to be done to prevent further damage to the structure. At the top of the list is roof work, Stetz said.
Stetz said C.A.M.P. plans to submit a Consolidated Funding Application to New York State in July to help pay for the restoration.
Another funding source, a scale model replica of a new version of the 154th Regiment Monument in Gettysburg, will also be on display at the 154th reunion. The artist is set to sell the replica from his studio in Gettysburg and donate proceeds from the first year the C.A.M.P.
The group has received a sizeable grant from the Onan Family Foundation in Minnesota, Stetz said. A family member, David Onan is a descendant of a 154th Regiment member.
The Civil War Memorial and Historical Building was named to the Western New York Landmark Society’s Five to Revive list. It is the county’s most significant Civil War memorial.
Tax deductible donations may be made through the C.A.M.P. website at www.cattcomemorial.com.
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @RMillerOTH)
