By Tamaria L. Kulemeka, Tkulemeka@nncogannett.Com
The Eagle-Gazette Staff

CARROLL -- A wall dedicated to the memories of people with ties to Carroll could stand in the center of the village, if organizers find enough support for the project.

The Carroll Memorial Wall would feature inscribed bricks in memory of veterans, family members and organizations.

It would be for anyone with historical or family ties to Carroll, said Kay Collins, president of the Revitalization Improvement Committee.

"We would hope that people who have lived here in the area or who have someone they want to remember will participate," Collins said. "Carroll has a rich heritage of people that have lived here and our people that have been in the military -- veterans and those serving now."

The Memorial Wall would be built in the Bessie Benson Memorial Park, which sits in the center of town bordered by Center, Market and Park streets.

The committee will sell bricks to anyone who wants memorialize a loved one or an organization. Each brick will hold up to three lines of text containing up to 17 characters per line. People who purchase a brick may select the location in the wall where their brick will be placed.

John Noecker, of Hudson, N.Y., already has ordered a brick that will read "Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad, and Aunt Trudie."   Noecker, a 1952 Lancaster High School graduate, has fond memories of visiting his grandparents and aunt in Carroll. Before moving to Lancaster, Noecker and his parents lived in Columbus.

"My roots are in Carroll," Noecker said. "My grandparents, great-grandparents, parents and aunt were all born there.

"I remember running around Carroll as a little squirt in shorts and bare feet," he said. "As a little kid, you wander around and go say hi to your old relatives. Things like that go with you forever."

The brick wall that the village is proposing would consist of 300 granite bricks, said Robert Howard, owner of Quality Monument Service Inc. in New Lexington.

These types of walls are becoming more popular in villages around the area, Howard said.

"We did one down in New Straitsville recently and have five or six in the works right now," he said. "It's more personal for a veteran or person in a community to have an individual brick than a name on a wall. They can get more information on a brick than you can on a single wall, and it looks nice doing it this way."

The Carroll Memorial Wall won't come to fruition without community support, said Mayor Charles O'Hare.

Howard estimates the project will cost around $12,000 to $14,000.

"Proceeds from the bricks will be used to buy the bricks and construct the wall," O'Hare said. "It's a community effort. The wall will hold quite a few bricks, but if we can't sell every space available we'll put in blanks."

The village was founded by William Tong, an engineer. Movie star Lon Chaney was born near Carroll and heavyweight boxing champion Jim Jeffries was from Carroll, O'Hare said.

"We also had old pioneer families who may have migrated to the area over the years. Descendants of those people are still in the area," he said. "It'll be interesting to see what names start popping up."

Originally published Sunday, November 21, 2004

Carroll wall would set memories in brick

By Tamaria L. Kulemeka, Tkulemeka@nncogannett.Com
The Eagle-Gazette Staff