On Friday, December 1st, the City of Thomaston will hold a dedication for an event almost 20 years in the making. The Greatest Generation Heritage Memorial – namesake for the Greatest Generation Memorial Park – will be presented to the public. The event will begin at 11AM. All are welcome to attend. Back in 2004, City of Thomaston Mayor, Hays Arnold, began discussions for a community park to be constructed on the site of the former B.F. Goodrich property, along Highway 19. The park was to be dedicated to the men, women, and children who grew up in the Depression and weathered the many challenges brought on by the Second World War – our Greatest Generation, aptly named in Tom Brokaw’s 1998 book. The groundbreaking for the park was underway in August, 2009. A grand opening ceremony was held a year later in November, 2010. Park planning committee members like Mr. Albert Edmonson, a member of the Greatest Generation who was both a World War II Veteran and textile employee for the Martha Mills, was able to see years of careful planning finally come to fruition. With the park open, the committee knew a fitting tribute for the Greatest Generation would still need to be planned. On the day of groundbreaking, August 21, 2009, Mayor Arnold ardently spoke of the next phase for the park – the most important – The Memorial. “This phase will serve as a perpetual memorial to honor all our veterans, but especially those who fought on foreign shores in order that America could remain the bastion of hope for the entire free world. This Memorial phase will also serve as a memorial to honor our textile employees, without whom there would be no Thomaston as we know it. We would have remained mainly agrarian and a mule trading center. We certainly would not have appreciated the prosperity we have enjoyed as a result of Thomaston Mills setting the stage for industrial growth in our community.” Planning for this Memorial took shape when WLA Studio, a Landscape Architectural firm based in Athens, GA, was hired in September, 2020. Instead of planning a singular monument, the firm, led by Principal Landscape Architect Dale Jaeger, designed a Memorial Plaza filled with symbolic elements which honor Thomaston’s past as well as an interpretive exhibit which will feature historical narrative and photographs to remember the efforts of the local military and textile workforce. The memorial plaza is a celebration in local history. Symbolic features honor the story of our community as they endured the Second World War. Ornamental Peppermint Stick Peach trees link to the area’s past as peach orchards once occupied the present park grounds. The American Yellowwood trees are emblems reminiscent of families tying a yellow ribbon around an oak tree during times of war. The Chestnut Oak trees are large deciduous trees. These hardwood trees provide seating areas within the plaza with much needed shade in the summer. The block and linear benches feature art deco motifs, cast from architectural remnants which were rescued from the former Martha Mills. Four of the original artifacts are featured within the interpretive exhibit. The plaza serves as a haven for those seeking a quiet interlude to pause, reflect, and remember the sacrifices and great mettle of our Greatest Generation. There are many who made this Memorial possible. The City of Thomaston and Public Works Department were instrumental in their efforts to fund and build the plaza. Community Enterprises, Inc. has remained a strong supporter for the park, continuing with the Memorial, through a number of donations over the years. Special thanks also go to the Greatest Generation Memorial Park Planning Committee, WLA Studio, and the Thomaston-Upson Archives for assisting with historical narrative and photographs which will be displayed within the interpretive exhibit. The Greatest Generation Heritage Memorial will stand as a lasting tribute to the 3,000 locals who served in the armed forces during World War II, the thousands of textile employees of Thomaston Mills and Martha Mills who supplied the nation with desperately needed material in the form of tire cord and others, and every citizen who rationed, grew victory gardens, and sacrificed so our great country could help secure the Allied Victory in one of the most defining periods of history. Again, the dedication will be held at 11AM on Friday, December 1st at the Greatest Generation Memorial Park. Highway 19 at Goodrich Ave. in Thomaston.
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