The United States sent four million men into battle during World War I, and more than 100,000 died
from influenza, combat, and wounds. The families in Clinton and Henry County sent their young men off
to an uncertain future.
In 1920, a local chapter of a women’s organization called the Service Star Legion started a fund of $1,000
to create a memorial for soldiers lost in the Great War. In 1921, the Clinton Concert Band asked to build
the bandstand. In 1958, the bandstand received a concrete floor, and in 1996, basic repairs were made
and the bandstand was rededicated.
For decades, families flocked to the downtown square each Saturday. Days were spent shopping and
socializing, and evenings included music and entertainment. Bands often played to large crowds that
gathered as the night fell. President Harry Truman, whose parents lived in Clinton for a short time, spoke
from the bandstand to about 2,000 people when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1934.
