SHAMOKIN - Seventy-five years ago today - Aug. 13, 1938 - the "Hiker" statue was dedicated in what remains one of the largest street celebrations in Shamokin's history.
According to contemporary newspaper accounts, at least 30,000 people lined Shamokin streets that day for a large parade that included Spanish-American War veterans from throughout the state and members of the Pennsylvania National Guard. The dedication program followed.
The handsome monument at the corner of Lincoln and Market streets honors the veterans of the Spanish-American War, a conflict that, though hardly remembered by the Americans of today, cemented the United States' status as a world power.
Shamokin's "Hiker" statue is one of about 50 statues modeled after an original monument that, according to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, was erected at the University of Minnesota in 1906. One of the "Hiker" statues, dedicated in 1927, graces Pottsville's Garfield Square.
The drive to erect the "Hiker" in Shamokin was spearheaded by John U. Shroyer, a local industrialist who was the past commander of the Major General Guy V. Henry Camp, which was Shamokin's chapter of the United Spanish-American War Veterans. Shroyer was also the former state commander of the organization.
Shroyer served as Pennsylvania Secretary of Highways, was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for governor and, in the early 1950s, was a Northumberland County commissioner. During the Spanish-American War, Shroyer served with Company B, 21st Regiment.
The Spanish-American War occurred following the sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana harbor on Feb. 15, 1898, a tragedy which most historians now believe was due to accidental causes, not a hostile act. Congress declared war on April 20 of that year. Newspaper accounts of 1938 reported the Hiker statue dedication was planned to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Spain's decision to sue for peace to end the war.
The monument was unveiled by Mrs. William Linderman, the widow of a Civil War soldier. One of the speakers was Gen. M.G. Shannon, commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard, who was a captain during the Spanish American War. He delighted the thousands of veterans in the crowd when he insisted in walking in the parade rather than riding in a vehicle. Another principal speaker was Pennsylvania Superior Court Judge Arthur James, of Plymouth, who was elected governor of Pennsylvania later that year.
According to the special commemorative edition published by The News-Dispatch for the 1964 Shamokin centennial, more than 200 men from the Shamokin area volunteered to serve in the war against Spain. The statue, constructed of bronze and granite, remains a lasting remembrance of their service and the service of all others who served in the military during the Spanish-American War and the subsequent Phillippine insurrection, a period lasting from 1898 to 1902.
At the time of the 1964 centennial, the newspaper reported there remained only three surviving members of the Guy V. Henry Camp - Paul L. Beddo, C. Ray Thomas and George Grinaway, all in their 80s at the time of the centennial.