By Philip R. Devlin
(November 11, 2025) — Perhaps you’ve noticed the large obelisk on the green while driving up Washington Street in Middletown. It is a World War I monument, honoring the 33 Middletown men who died in World War I. It is proximate to the 33 maple trees planted there in honor of those 33 casualties.
Sixteen of those men died in combat; the remaining 17 died of illness–mainly the Spanish Flu–or accidents. The trees were dedicated on November 14, 1920. On that occasion, Father Patrick Dolan had this to say during the dedication: “They will daily kiss the Mother Earth to whom these dead have been returned and… will constantly extend toward Heaven a prayer for these, our hero dead.”
The obelisk (photo above) was added in 1927.
Since then, a number of these memorial trees have had to be replaced, mainly due to the Great Hurricane of 1938. Check it out when you next drive up the hill to Wesleyan University.
Photos by Philip Devlin
