U.S.S. Maine National Monument, Merchant’s Gate, Central Park

Official ceremony unveiling Maine Monument on May 30, 1913. Photo by Bain News Service. Source: Library of Congress.

The Maine Monument stands at Merchant’s Gate, a southwestern entrance to Central Park, facing Columbus Circle. The monument honors the 258 American sailors who perished when the battleship Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, then under Spanish rule. The causes of the February 15, 1898 explosion remain unclear, but by April of that year, Spain had declared war on the United States (source NYC Parks). The Monument was cast on September 1, 1912 and dedicated on May 30, 1913.