Firemen's Monument (Hoboken, New Jersey)

The Firemen's Monument in 1905

Starting in the 19th Century, statues of firemen who died in the line of duty were placed in municipal burial plots, which eventually led to placement of monuments in more accessible public places and often to commemorate various departments or events. The monument in Hoboken was built to commemorate the end of the Volunteer firefighters in the city, as earlier that year, firefighting became a paid profession. The first statues were made using marble, but many, including the Firemen's monument in Hoboken, were sculpted using zinc and cast in bronze by Caspar Buberl and sold by J.W. Fiske.[4]

Inscription with memorial flowers

Standing in the west end of Church Square Park[5] at Garden Street and 5th Street, the Firemen's Monument sits atop a 20-foot granite pedestal that features emblems of a ladder, pike poles and a fire hose on its face. The statue itself is approximately 8 feet tall and features a mustached firemen in uniform, holding a small child in nightdress in his left arm and a lantern in his right hand. Similar statues have been noted as being modeled after statues of the Virgin Mary cradling the baby Jesus.[6] The monument reads:

Erected by the citizens of Hoboken, N.J. in honor of the volunteer fire dept. May 30th 1891.

With Hobokens' rich history and multiple National Register of Historic Places sites, a tour is run yearly[7] and begins with the statue. Because of Hobokens vicinity and viewpoint to New Jerseyians during the September 11th attacks which resulted in the lives of many firefighters being lost, appreciation of these zinc statues has been renewed.

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hudson County, New Jersey