BY PEPPER FISHER
Carlsborg – Clallam County servicemen who died in the first World War have a brand new memorial in Carlsborg thanks to the hard work of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Ten men from Clallam County lost their lives fighting in Europe. Their names now appear on a monument stone that was first erected 100 years ago in Carlsborg, in front of what was then the Carlsborg School. The building is now home to the Carlsborg Family Church.
The original bronze marker was erected by a private citizen, Toussent Benoit, in 1924. It read, “In memory of the Clallam County boys who fought and died in the World War and of their heroic mothers”. But it did not include their names.
One of those “boys” was Clyde A. Rhodefer. Clyde’s family, spearheaded by his great-niece Anita Reynolds, has replaced the original bronze marker, which is now held by Sequim Museum and Arts Center, with a stone engraved with the original wording and the names of the ten known local casualties of World War One.
Reynolds says she’s very proud to be a member of one the early pioneer families in the Dungeness Valley, and proud of her late, great uncle Clyde.
“He was my mom’s Uncle. So, my grandfather was Bill Rhodefer, and the family came to Clallam County in 1897. Clyde was born in 1890, so he would have been seven or so when they came. And my great-grandmother was actually pregnant with my grandfather when she came ashore at Dungeness. And there’s a lot of cousins still here locally, and they’re thrilled about this project.”
Reynolds gives credit to Mick Hersey, a monument restoration specialist from the Bremerton area, for installing the new stone plaque onto the original granite boulder in September, just in time for the memorial’s 100th birthday. She also acknowledged the hard work of her DAR Chapter in pouring over historical documents and websites to find the names of the men on the plaque.
Reynolds says an official rededication of the monument is being planned for Saturday, November 9, at 1:00 p.m at the Carlsborg Family Church at 481 Carlsborg Road.