Memorials
Honoring those who served
UW-Platteville has a rich history of supporting student and alumni veterans stretching back to World War I. Eight permanent memorials, both on-campus and off-campus, serve as monuments to honor their service and serve as a reminder of their sacrifice for all current and future UW-Platteville students and anyone who visits campus.
Recognizing those who served and sacrificed for our nation in times of war keeps us mindful of the freedoms we enjoy. To ensure that their sacrifices are not forgotten, UW-Platteville will continue to honor those who stood proudly for their country to restore freedom around the globe.
Read more about the sites on campus where we remember our veterans. If you are visiting campus, this map will help you navigate to each memorial.
World War I Memorial at Rountree Hall
The Wisconsin Mining School World War I memorial is in the northeast corner of the former Wisconsin Mining School property, Rountree Hall. While the date of dedication is not known, the current memorial is the second to which the memorial plaque has been affixed. Originally, the plaque was mounted to a concrete mound topped with an artillery shell. The current memorial includes a star-shaped concrete base to which the plaque is attached, with a sundial in the center of the star. The plaque reads: “In memory of Frank Vivian Laughton, James Leslie Paull, William F. Weber, Jr., Graduates of the Wisconsin Mining School who served with honor during the World War 1914-1918, and who gave their lives that liberty might not perish.”
World War II Memorial in Memorial Park
The WWII Memorial is located in Memorial Park on the southwest end of campus, below the campus solar array. The original plaque, honoring the WWII fallen from the Platteville State Teachers College, was commissioned by the class of 1946, but never mounted. It wasn’t until 1988 that this plaque resurfaced, being returned to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville by a gentleman in Prairie Du Chien. In 1989, this plaque was mounted to a stone in Memorial Park. Shortly after the 1989 dedication, a man by the name of Joe Corbin, who was present for the 1989 dedication, returned to the University and asked to commission a plaque to also honor the WWII fallen from the Wisconsin Mining School. The second plaque was added to the memorial on September 19, 1992, at a rededication ceremony.
ROTC Memorial and Major Christopher Splinter Memorial
Memorials for the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program and one honoring the life of Major Christopher Splinter, is located on the west end of the Pine Street sidewalk, between Warner Hall and Royce Hall.
UW-Platteville has a long history supporting and training America’s Armed Forces. This included a history of training the Student Army Training Corps as far back as 1918 at the Wisconsin Mining School, and more recently the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, which was decommissioned in 1991.