Southampton Village reaches launching point for WWI memorial restoration

A grassroots campaign to raise money to restore a century-old World War I memorial in Southampton Village is nearly complete, thanks to the efforts of residents and a recent state grant.

The restoration of the limestone memorial, built in 1923, got a boost when the state announced on Dec. 23 that the village would receive a $675,000 grant for the project. The grant, coupled with fundraising efforts from local organizations and village government that have raised more than $500,000, will allow Southampton to begin restoration work that officials estimate will cost around $1.2 million.

“I don't know whether it's a Christmas present or a Happy New Year present, but it certainly was a great gift from the State of New York to get that $675,000,” Mayor Bill Manger told Newsday.

Manger said the village will issue a request for proposals to hire a contractor for the project and hopes to have construction underway sometime this year.

The memorial is a historic village landmark and an iconic part of Agawam Park. It serves as a backdrop for Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies and has “always played a central role” in the village, Manger said. The Corinthian-style temple’s walls are carved with the names of Southampton residents who served in World War I.

But the structure has deteriorated from years of exposure to the elements and is now in such a fragile state that it is encircled by a fence warning visitors to stay out. The village has completed substantial work on the monument in past decades, but those improvements were not enough to sustain it, Manger said. The monument needs structural restoration to its roof and floor, as well as surface repairs, he said.

“It's just something that everyone clearly recognizes as Southampton Village,” Manger said. “It's very important to restore so that it can stand up for at least another 100 years.”

It took a village

When it came to fundraising for the project, it truly took a village.

Although the fundraiser began four years ago, progress was slow at first, Manger said. In the past two years, however, the effort has gained momentum.

Manger and Southampton trustees decided to allocate $100,000 in the budget for the project, a move the mayor said encouraged residents to contribute. The village initiated a study on how to restore the monument and used that to apply for a state grant. Although the village was passed up for the funding in 2024, officials encouraged residents to write letters to the state expressing support for the project.

While the village awaited the results of last year’s grant application, residents got to work to raise additional funds.

The Southampton Association, a local civic group, decided to “turbocharge” the effort by creating a $50,000 matching grant. By the time the nonprofit presented its check to the board, the group had raised $130,000.

Southampton Association President Jay Diesing said the organization is excited about the project, which will help restore a part of “one of the iconic views” in the village.

“We’re blessed in Southampton that we have people who care and who can afford to help the community," Diesing said. "And something like this, I think, is a great opportunity to bring the community together, because whether you gave $25 or $25,000, everybody had the same goal in mind, which was fixing an iconic part of the village."

Local teen's campaign to help

Another contributor was a social media and web campaign started about two years ago by local teen Robert Giuffra III.

Giuffra, 18, said that growing up in the village, the monument “fueled my passion for history, which it what I want to study in college.” He recalled speaking to a Vietnam War veteran at the memorial when he was 8 years old about the veteran's military service.

“I'm just really happy we got the project done, and I just ... thank everyone for their support throughout it,” Giuffra said. “We had a lot of great people come out to fundraisers and show interest, and we couldn't have done it without them.”

The Village Improvement Association of Southampton, another civic group, has also committed a $30,000 donation, Manger said. He added that Southampton can make up any remaining funding shortfalls in next year’s budget.

“We've had some very generous people and we're just obviously thrilled that the state would recognize how important this is to the village and come through with the $675,000,” Manger said.