SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR MEMORIAL, Mott Haven

Although it was a short war with a questionable mission, the sacrifice of American troops during the Spanish-American War is commemorated by several memorials across the city. A column erected in 1919 at Graham Square, between Third and Lincoln Avenues at East 137th Street in Mott Haven section of the Bronx is dedicated to those from that community who served and died. In 1941, a large granite stele was dedicated to Spanish-American War veterans in Captain George H. Tilly Park in Jamaica, Queens. (Tilly, the son of a prominent Jamaica family, was killed while fighting in the Philippines in 1899.) –NYC Parks

By far, the most significant Spanish-American memorial in the city is the grand Maine Monument (1912) at Central Park’s Merchant’s Gate at Columbus Circle, that honors the 258 American sailors who perished when the battleship Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, then under Spanish rule. Soon after, newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst agitated for war with Spain.

Staten Island’s Hiker statue honors local soldiers who served in the Spanish-American War. The statue depicts a foot soldier dressed in military fatigues, with a rifle slung over his shoulder. The image (and nickname) is derived from the long marches that the infantry endured in the tropical Cuban climate and terrain.

A Spanish-American War memorial flagpole is also in the center mall at Northern Blvd. and Main Street in Flushing.

2/22/16