while Queens is sometimes described as “the least Civil War monumented borough,” There are several memorials there. One is this “Standing Angel.” If you think you may have seen this before, the sculptor used the same angel in a monument at the South Carolina State Capitol dedicated to the women of the Confederacy!
The statue is in Major Mark Park at 173rd Street and Hillside in Queens. It was unveiled in 1896 after having been sculpted by Frederick Wellington Ruckstull, an Alsatian immigrant. The angel holds a laurel wreath in her left hand, symbolizing victory and a palm frond in her right hand symbolizing peace.
There is no panelat the site explaining the history of the statue and the only words engraved are the years of the war.
The park itself is a neat little oval which is well-maintained. However, drinkers from nearby Jamaica use the benches there to imbibe.
