Sultana Monument in Alliance, OH???

Did anyone else know that there was a large Sultana monument in Alliance, OH? Neither did I... and neither did veteran and history buff Jim Peters, who, up until he stumbled across the Alliance monument, had never even heard of the Sultana...

Peters didn’t learn of it until three years ago when he found a weather-beaten monument at Alliance City Cemetery. It’s engraved with the names of local men who died aboard the ship. The Alliance resident has been working since to make sure the names aren’t forgotten...

Peters first found the 12-foot-tall Sultana memorial while putting up memorial flags at the cemetery during Memorial Day. Years of wear has made the stone’s engraving nearly illegible, though Peters could read some of the words.

“Here’s the name Sultana, and I’m almost thinking Turkey and Constantinople,” Peters said. “I figured it was a ship because it also said ‘steamer,’ but I didn’t know much of anything about it ... . I still don’t.”

Family concerns sidetracked Peters’ research for a while, and what information he has found tells him little about the memorial.

He doesn’t know who erected it or when. Its location on the Alliance cemetery plot map is listed as “GAR,” which stands for the Grand Army Republic, one of the first veteran organizations.

Peters hasn’t been able to identify the names engraved in stone, but knows that the men belonged to Company F of the 115th Ohio Voluntary Infantry, which included residents of Stark, Columbiana and Portage counties. He also found that the regiment was mustered in Massillon in the fall of 1862, and the soldiers likely were captured guarding railroads in Tennessee...

The article from the Canton Rep entitled, "Alliance man wants to restore monument to Sultana" also goes on to describe how Mr. Peters is working on the renovations and how he is seeking out local help. Their site also has a couple additional pictures.

I now need to update the monuments and memorials page which is currently lacking this amazing find.

photo from the Canton Rep