Blawnox War Memorial to be upgraded through committee project

The Blawnox War Memorial will soon be updated and upgraded as part of a borough fundraising effort.

Located at the intersection of Freeport Road and North Avenue, the memorial was established in 1991.

Its inscription reads, “Dedicated to the men and women of this community who served in all wars.”

However, members of the Blawnox Centennial Committee said the names of those memorialized are from World War I.

They decided to do something about that.

The committee this month launched a memorial brick project. Work includes replacing the old pavers, or bricks, around the memorial where weeds have taken root.

The memorial also will be professionally cleaned and new lighting will be installed.

John Simmons, committee member and brick memorial chairman, said they were able to get 4,400 bricks donated by Building Products of Sharpsburg and labor donated by Overbeck’s Nursery & Landscaping in Blawnox.

The committee also partnered with Bricks R Us of Miami to have the bricks engraved. Cost is $100 per brick.

The bricks will have the name of the soldier, military branch, service years and, if space allows, commendations such as Purple Heart and other medals.

“We have nothing in the borough showing veterans who served in the armed forces from World War II up to today’s date,” committee member John Simmons said. “What we wanted to do was have (bricks) for (soldiers) who were born and raised in Blawnox or lived in Blawnox at one time.”

Online ordering is expected to start March 21.

Orders will be taken when that time comes via bricksrus.com/donorsite/blawnoxcentennial.

There is no deadline to order.

However, those who wish to see their bricks installed by Memorial Day must order by the end of April.

Committee member Lisa Simmons-Jump said the group began project discussions in December and started reaching out to businesses for their support in January.

“The biggest thing for us is Blawnox has a wonderful memorial to recognize those community members that have served, but we don’t have an updated list of those servicemen and women since World War I,” she said. “It’s really important for us to show our respect. … We thought this would be a great way to honor them. This would be something we hope the borough would continue with giving the community options to order in years to come.”

Overbeck’s co-owners and siblings, April and Frank Overbeck, said they welcomed the opportunity to get involved in the project.

“It’s for the borough and it’s for the veterans,” Frank Overbeck said. “Those are two of the important parts of it.”

The family business was started by their grandfather, Arthur “Ike” Overbeck, in 1967.

April Overbeck said they plan to purchase a brick to honor him for his service in the Army during World War II.

“I think it’s going to look nice,” she said. “(The memorial) needs an upgrade.”

Councilwoman Katie Specht-Coban said the project has council’s full support.

“It’s a great thing to honor our veterans,” she said. “I like lasting memories like that. When we’re all gone, you still have someone’s name in the town that had something to do with life. It’s pretty cool.”

The fundraising goal is $10,000. Proceeds will benefit the centennial celebration set for Sept. 20, 2025.

More information about the committee and how to get involved is available at blawnoxcentennial2025.com.