Decisions need to be made regarding the Chadds Ford mystery monument, the Vietnam memorial that may be the oldest of its kind in the country. Just what should or can be done remains at issue.
As reported, the monument, a cannon on a stone base, was dedicated in 1966, only two years after the Gulf of Tonkin resolution that committed American fighting forces to Vietnam, and four years before Tet of ‘68. It sits on private property, can’t be seen from the road and has been neglected for years. There are also signs of possible vandalism.
Some members of Rolling Thunder, a group of Vietnam veterans, now visit the site — along Route 202 in the parking lot of the former Sovereign Bank — since becoming aware of it. Some want the monument moved to a better location, possibly the township building. Another veteran wants the site turned into an historic landmark.
One township supervisor, George Thorpe, previously said that the monument might be better going to the county since the dedication plaque says it’s dedicated to the men of Delaware County who fought in Vietnam. He may or may not change now that it appears the memorial may be the country’s first.
Even that, however, may not be enough. The monument is on property belonging to the Hineman family. Ron Hineman said the family has made no decision yet, but is weighing its options. He said that it may be offered to either Chadds Ford or Concord Township, offered to the county or kept where it is.
One of the other issues is that the property in question may, or may not, be sold and turned into an entranceway to a development in Concord Township. The development would be for a Wegman’s food market. Rumor has it that Wegman’s doesn’t want the monument.
So what does it mean to residents of Chadds Ford to possibly have another piece of history in their township? Should it stay or go? If it goes, where should that be? And is there anyone who knows why it was dedicated in Chadds Ford in the first place? Newspaper archives and historical society records have revealed nothing.
The monument’s history is just as much a mystery as its future.
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