WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- A group of veterans in Lycoming County has plans to build six new monuments in Williamsport by Veterans Day. To pay for the project, the group has begun selling personalized bricks that will be permanently placed in the park in the city.
A stack of bricks inside a storage shed in Williamsport is growing, but the bricks engraved with a name or special message won't be in there for much longer.
By the end of the summer, the Lycoming County Veterans Memorial Park Commission hopes to have these bricks placed in the park in Williamsport as part of a $55,000 project.
John Markley served in the Army and is now the secretary for the park commission. His group plans to build six new monuments in the park on West Fourth Street.
Each monument will be in honor of wars fought before World War I.
Markley is a volunteer and upkeep at the park is paid for through donations. It's why they've started selling these bricks to pay for the monument project.
"We have people buying bricks, they don't have to be from Lycoming County, they can be from anywhere. some people donate the brick in memory of someone," Markley explained.
Members of the commission tell us those bricks will be laid right in front of the monument, making it easy to find for veterans and loved ones coming to visit.
"These are the people that have ensured the freedom of the United States, the people that gave their lives to secure the freedoms that we've been given," said park commission member Howard Wilt.
Wilt served in the First Marine Division during the Korean War. He's already bought a brick that will be placed in the park.
Others looking to buy a brick can head to Williamsport City Hall or reach out to the park commission.
"We are still going to need a maintenance fund to keep on going, so hopefully we'll be selling bricks for centuries."
The group hopes to have all six monuments built by Veterans Day.