KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) – Organizations in Wyandotte County rededicated a historic monument Monday honoring nearly 180,000 Black men who fought for the Union during the Civil War, including nearly 200 from Wyandotte County.

The monument at Woodlawn Cemetery was originally dedicated on Memorial Day 1905 to Black soldiers and sailors who fought for freedom in the Civil War. On Memorial Day 2026, 121 years later, the community rededicated it following its first known restoration.

Rare monument gets first restoration

The monument is one of the few in the United States dedicated to the known and unknown soldiers of color who fought for the Union during the Civil War. Over the last century, weather and time took their toll, but there is no record of it ever being cleaned or restored until now.

“It’s so important to recognize these individuals and the fact that it’s taken so long for them to get the beauty and the restoration they deserve- it warms your heart but also breaks it at the same time,” said Kayla Roehler, Women’s Relief Corps national presidential liaison.

Preserving forgotten histories

Roehler said soldiers of color are often more forgotten than their white counterparts, not just in the Civil War but throughout American history.

“And it continues today. And we have to work to preserve those histories and remember who they are,” she said. “Otherwise, when we forget their names, they’re truly forgotten.”

She said these monuments are sometimes the only lasting legacy people have.

Roehler said she wants the Wyandotte County community to know their history is everyone’s history.

The Women’s Relief Corps, Wyandotte County Historical Society and the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War hosted the rededication ceremony on Monday at Woodlawn Cemetery. The Wyandotte County Historical Society provided funding and support for the restoration.

The ceremony included remarks from local historians and community leaders, as well as a wreath-laying and moment of reflection. Representatives from the Women’s Relief Corps, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Wyandotte County Historical Society and the Unified Government participated.