This is a piece of Stone Mountain Memorial half dollar ephemera that I have had for a number of years, but do not know as much about its origin story as I would like. It is a 3-1/2" x 8-1/2" one-sided broadside that encouraged folks to donate a minimum of $5.00 to the Stone Mountain Memorial. Each donation would get a Confederate soldier listed in the Memorial's Book of Memory with a gold star beside it. In addition, a special version of the medal created by Augustus Lukeman, was to be presented to the soldier.
Based on reading the broadside, It appears to have been distributed in the weeks leading up to the 37th Reunion of Confederate Soldiers that was to be held in Tampa, Florida April 5-8, 1927. Contemporary newspaper accounts report local groups in the South getting involved in the "Gold Star Enrollment" program and raising funds to ensure Confederates veterans in their town/county got listed in "The Book" and received one of the special medals.
My original thinking was that the broadside read as if it were a press release, but its text/copy is likely a bit too promotional to be accepted as such. It seems more likely that it was distributed as a standalone piece, at events held by local civic organizations, events held by the Memorial's supporters, etc. It fits nicely in a business-sized envelope, so I can also envision it being used as a mailer insert. Of course, this is all speculation on my part; I don't have proof of any particular distribution approach. With that said, it remains (IMO) an interesting piece regardless of how it was used/distributed.
The majority of the funds raised were said to have gone to the carving of the Stone Mountain monument, with the balance going toward production costs associated with the medal and associated promotional activities. I haven't yet seen financial statements for the program, however, so I can't report on revenue vs. expenses.
I've discussed the "Gold Star" medals in question previously (link below), and have posted quite a bit about about the Stone Mountain half dollar (see below) for those with an interest in learning more about it.
1925 Stone Mountain "Gold Star" Medal Broadside
1925 Stone Mountain Memorial Half Dollar
For a discussion of the "Gold Star" medal:
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Lukeman's Stone Mountain Medals.
To check out my various posts on the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 11/10/2021 09:41 am
