In 1997, the Bayonne Historical Society conducted a fundraising program called "Save the Hiker!" to restore the statue of the Spanish-American War soldier in Stephen R. Gregg Bayonne Hudson County Park. The restored statue was unveiled at the culminating activities of Bayonne's Memorial Day ceremony on May 26, 1997.

The monument commemorates the sacrifices of Bayonne residents who served in the military in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, circa 1898-1902, during and just after the Spanish-American War.

The Hiker was sculpted by Allen George Newman to commemorate the American infantrymen who fought during the Spanish-American War in 1898. The war brought the United States into the age of expansionism at a time when the nation was progressing towards world prominence. The spirit of the age was to safeguard the values of the American people and to bring the ideals of a self-governing republic to the international arena. The war issued in a new era of foreign policy for America and a new interest at home in world events.

America's participation in the Spanish-American War involved a volunteer military that fought united for the first time since the Civil War. President William McKinley praised the volunteers for their response to the first American campaign on foreign soil "for a righteous cause and under a common flag." It was a war not fought for home or national honor but for the cause of freedom and democracy.

The statue is the image of a soldier who reflects the quiet strength and confident determination of an individual ready to brave the hardships of war. The U.S. infantry men were called "hikers" during the Spanish-American War very much as the soldiers of World War II were called "GI Joe." The name "hiker" comes from the nineteenth century use of the word "hike" for a long march under the tropical sun. In time, the familiar greeting of one soldier to another, "Hello Hiker!" entered the soldiers' daily routine.

Attired in military dress appropriate for assignment in Cuba, Puerto Rico or the Philippines, the hiker-as in Newman's sculpture-wears a field uniform, a wide-brimmed campaign hat, open-necked shirt with rolled-up sleeves, laced leggings, cartridge belt around his waist, and a long-barreled rifle. It is a somewhat different look from the characterization of soldiers in earlier memorial statues. The Hiker, skillfully crafted, appears in the "at rest" position.

The Hiker has a long tradition in our community. When it was proposed for construction in 1912, $250 of its total cost was raised by the city's school children, whose names are reportedly sealed in the base of the statue. It was first located at the traffic triangle at 36th Street and the Boulevard, where it was dedicated on Labor Day of 1912. Symbols for the artillery, infantry and navy are carved on the three sides of the monument's granite base. The bronze plaque, on the front of the base, was fashioned from metal recovered from the USS Maine and was unveiled at a Memorial Day ceremony in 1914. The sculpture together with its base and plaque are collectively called the "Soldiers' Monument."

The motto of the United Spanish War Veterans is "Freedom, Patriotism and Humanity." It represents the particular causes of the war and the dedication of all who served in it. The community's response to the "Save the Hiker!" campaign demonstrated that the sentiments of the motto also represent the sentiments of our residents today as well as our goals for tomorrow.

Adapted from address by Anthony Conti, President
Bayonne Historical Society
May 26, 1997