A history lesson taken from Dixon Living Magazine (summer 2019)

A Century of Remembrance

What was meant to be a temporary memorial to World War I veterans is observing its centennial.  There have been four versions of the Dixon Memorial Arch, but it has remained around the same location for 100 years.

The first Memorial Arch was erected over Galena Avenue (Lincoln Highway) on June 13, 1919.  This arch lasted 30 years.  Inscribed on the arch: "A grateful people pause in their welcome to the victorious living to pay silent tribute to the illustrious dead."

The second version of the Memorial Arch, also made of wood, was erected in 1949 and had red, neon lights that illuminated "Dixon" at night.  The first and second arches had the red, white and blue Lincoln Highway logo painted on their base.

When Galena Avenue was widened to four lanes in 1965, so was the arch.

The current arch was built in 1985 and moved about 25 feet south, closer to the top of the hill.  This one is made of fiberglass, and its "Dixon," from the previous arch, also lights up at night.