Tipton Monument

This monument is considered to be the 1st monument in the state to honor those men from the Civil War. It was erected in 1866 by the residents of Franklin Township and dedicated on July 4, 1866 with a cost of $1,500.00 which was raised by public subscription. The eight tablets contain the names and information of 33 soldiers from Franklin Township that died during the Civil War. In 1965 on Palm Sunday a tornado came through and toppled the top half of the monument. The staff portion was reassembled unfortunately without the very top spire which came up missing. Since then and and over the 140 years the weather has taken it's toll on the sandstone monument. It ws decided by a local individual and the members of Nash-Hodges Camp 43 SUVCW and the 4th Michigan Company G reenactors that something must be done to preserve this treasure. Research was done on all the names and information and the monument was taken apart piece by piece and placed through out the cemetery. The tablets were loaded on a trailer and taken to an engraver in Lansing to be cleaned and re-etched. The rest of the pieces were cleaned and detailed by many volunteers over a period of a month with a new foundation being poured. Once all the pieces were completed and returned the monument was once again assembled with a new spire for the top. On July 4, 2006 exactly 140 years to the day a rededication ceremony took place with over a hundred people in attendance. The program consisted of speakers anywhere from local historians to local, county and state Officials. At the end of the ceremony the names of the men were read and relatives or reenactors placed flags at the base of the monument. This monument is located in the center of the Franklin Township Cemetery on Tipton Hwy. just north of the M50 intersection in Tipton Michigan.

1866 2006

for pictures of the restoration see " What We Do "