The WWI monuments that once adorned Canal Street in New Orleans have an intriguing history. After the war, temporary structures were erected to stir support for a final round of U.S. war bonds. These monuments, standing tall over Canal Street, were adorned with wreaths and plaques listing the names of New Orleanians who lost their lives in the war. But what happened to them? Ron Hill, a retired veteran, found a picture in the Louisiana Digital Library that sparked his curiosity. He wondered about the fate of these monuments, which seemed to disappear from public notice after the campaign ended. Clues to their story lie in newspaper filings from 1919 and the state of U.S. postwar finances. When the U.S. entered WWI in 1917, it needed a way to finance the war effort. The Liberty Loan Plan was born, and during the war, four rounds of bond selling were conducted. When Armistice Day arrived in November 1918, a final financial push followed. In 1919, the fifth and final round of U.S. war bonds, titled the "Victory Liberty Loan," was launched. New Orleans had a quota of around $21 million to meet, and local efforts were led by Henry E. Groffman. Before the campaign began, Groffman sent out a public call for the names of local Gold Star soldiers who had perished in the war. The response was intense, with the Historic New Orleans Collection estimating 74,103 Louisianans served in the U.S. armed forces during the war. The campaign featured an impressive display on Canal Street, consisting of eight three-sided pylons, each between 18-20 feet tall. These pylons, decorated with a gold and ivory color scheme, held different symbols of war and displayed the names of Gold Star soldiers on plaques near the bottom. The display also included electric lights and "novel displays of patriotic ideas" to drum up public enthusiasm for buying bonds. However, the last mention of the display was in a brief note in the May 7, 1919, article of the New Orleans Item. The pylons disappeared from public notice, and even though other evidence suggests they were taken down after the campaign ended, New Orleanians were eager to create a proper war memorial. Debate over the form and design of this memorial began in the summer of 1919, leading to the creation of the 9th Ward Victory Arch, America's first permanent tribute to WWI U.S. servicemen.
