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U.S.S. Maine Monument

This is a monument to the 266 American soldiers who died when the battleship U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana, Cuba on February 15, 1898. Although the cause of the explosion is uncertain, publisher William Randolph Hearst joined with pro-war forces in promoting the disaster as an act of sabotage and triggering the Spanish-American War, which resulted in American acquisition from Spain of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. Hearst solicited donations for this monument over a period of years with architect H. Van Buren Magonigle and sculptor Attilio Piccirilli selected as the designers. The monument was dedicated in the park in 1913. (reference)

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