Since 1992, the Foundation has restored 41 small civic monuments — courthouse plaques, town square markers, naturalization hall inscriptions — that had been overlooked, weathered, or simply forgotten.
We have removed none of them. The work of teaching is rarely the work of erasing.
A selection from 41 completed projects. Each entry includes location, year of restoration, and a brief account of the monument's history.
A bronze inscription panel dated 1902, commemorating the first mass naturalization ceremonies held in the hall. Restored after decades of surface corrosion had rendered it unreadable.
Bronze InscriptionA granite marker placed in 1965 near the Edmund Pettus Bridge, commemorating the Voting Rights Act marches. Regraved and reset after vandalism and weather damage.
Granite MarkerA cast iron plaque dating to 1869, affixed to the oldest federal courthouse west of the Mississippi. Remounted, recast where broken, and reinstalled with a protective clear coat.
Cast Iron PlaqueA series of eight interpretive panels installed in 1948, recounting the history of the Bell's role in American civic memory. Panels recast in archival bronze after the originals corroded beyond legibility.
Interpretive PanelsA marble obelisk erected in 1876, commemorating the first Black elected officials in South Carolina's Reconstruction legislature. Cleaned, repointed, and an explanatory panel added in consultation with local historians.
Marble ObeliskA bronze marker at the site of the former immigration station where more than one million immigrants were processed between 1910 and 1940. Restored in partnership with the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation.
Bronze Memorial MarkerWe accept nominations from citizens, historians, local governments, and civic organizations year-round. A nomination does not guarantee restoration — we assess each site for historical significance, physical condition, and community support.
If selected, the Foundation covers all costs of restoration and installs a small marker noting the work and the year it was done.
We look for monuments that: