Eden Park Set for Women Veterans Bronze Monument
Renderings unveiled for Held in Service, a bronze memorial honoring women veterans, planned for installation in Eden Park.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Military
Renderings were unveiled for a planned bronze monument honoring women veterans in Eden Park, and the monument's site was dedicated during a Veterans Day ceremony. The work, titled Held in Service, is being created by Toledo-based artist Austen Brantley.
Why it matters
The memorial addresses the relative absence of recognition for women who have served, a gap that surfaced when members of VVA Chapter 10 found a hidden marker honoring women veterans. For Cincinnati residents, it adds a public tribute to the city's existing veterans memorials in Eden Park.
The figures in the sculpture are about 5-foot-6-inches tall and set at ground level, with installation targeted for June 12, 2027, National Women Veterans Recognition Day. The final budget and casting schedule have not been disclosed.
The players
Austen Brantley
Toledo-based artist creating the Held in Service monument, drawing on Henry Mosler's The Birth of the Flag from the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Connie Pillich
Hamilton County Prosecutor and U.S. Air Force veteran who served as this year's keynote speaker at the dedication.
National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Ohio
Organization behind the effort to create the women veterans memorial in Eden Park.
The details
The bronze monument will depict a female Civil War service member, a member of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a World War I nurse, and a contemporary combat veteran, arranged in a circle around the U.S. flag. The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Ohio is behind the effort, and Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was this year's keynote speaker.
Timeline
2025: Idea for a women's memorial arose after a hidden marker was discovered.
November 11, 2026: Renderings unveiled and site dedicated at a Veterans Day ceremony.
June 12, 2027: Planned unveiling on National Women Veterans Recognition Day.
Military Memorial Context
The planned Held in Service monument sits adjacent to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Eden Park, which opened in 1984. It extends that tradition of public commemoration to women veterans, whose service the local VVA Chapter 10 found was marked by only a hidden plaque.
Residents visiting Eden Park will be able to approach and touch the life-size figures, since the memorial is designed to sit at ground level. The monument gives Cincinnati visitors a new place to recognize women who have served, alongside the existing veterans memorials.
The takeaway
Public memorials can surface overlooked histories, as the discovery of a hidden marker led one Cincinnati veterans chapter to pursue a permanent tribute to women who served. Readers interested in local commemoration can follow how the Held in Service project progresses toward its 2027 unveiling.
What happens next
The monument is scheduled for an unveiling on June 12, 2027, National Women Veterans Recognition Day, when the bronze figures are expected to be installed.
Further reading
For more on local commemorations, see Military coverage across Cincinnati.
