As you approach North Canaan on Route 44, you will see this absolutely spectacular monument on East Main Street. The monument is capped by a statue known as «The Spirit of the American Doughboy», and apparently there are hundreds of these similar statues across the country. The monument shows a World War I infantryman marching forward. He is well armed, holding a rifle in one hand and a grenade in the other. The statue is mounted on a very ornate multi-sided stone base, and embedded into the stone faces are a series of plaques honoring local soldiers who served in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, and World War One. Some of the inscriptions read: This Tablet Is Reverently Inscribed to the Memory Of Those Who Went From That Part Of The Town of Canaan Which Later Became North Canaan, And Who, With Valor and Patriotism, Defended the Flag of Our Country In The Colonial Wars The War of The Revolution The War of 1812 Although time has dimmed the record of their Names, their deeds are held in everlasting Remembrance 1861 — 1865 In Memory Of These Men of North Canaan Who Fought in the Civil War 1914 – 1918 Honor Roll In Honor Of Those Who Served In The World War
