Updated March 29, 1999
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Published Monday, March 29, 1999
The memorial mysteriously disappeared when the bank was razed to make way for what then was the First National Bank in Mercer. Mellon Bank now houses the building at the corner of North Diamond and North Erie streets in Mercer.
Facing death, a National Guard veteran turned to his friend, Mary Jane Marks, to unravel the mystery. The old soldier's last request was to see at least a similar World War II memorial in Mercer, Mrs. Marks said.
"I'm an old face in town," said the local Realtor, who came to town about the time that the old bank was being demolished. "I love a challenge like this," she said.
However, neither she nor other veteran Mercer residents could recall the monument or what it looked like, she said.
Her search for information or a photo goes on.
Richard McChesney, a retired banker who was a cashier with the former First National Bank in Mercer, said he could not recall the World War II monument. He said he came to Mercer in 1958, four years after the old bank was razed and the present building was constructed.
Mrs. Marks sought the help of Mercer American Legion post 159, of which her dying friend is a member. She would not identify the name of her friend.
If a replica of the monument can be made, or if the monument can be found, the courthouse lawn would be a fitting place for it, Mrs. Marks said. There, it would join monuments memorializing Civil War and Vietnam War veterans.