The Spirit of American Citizenship
Alabama
On the west bank of the Coosa River here in Gadsden stands a glowing obelisk. It is called the Monument to the Spirit of American Citizenship, and it was dedicated in the late nineteen nineties. Up close you can see it is not stone but frosted glass, panel after panel mounted on a steel frame and lit from the inside, so that after dark it shines like a column of light over the river.
The granite base is engraved on each face with a different inspirational quotation about citizenship and country. There is even an audio recording that plays the Star Spangled Banner, sung by Jeff Cook, the guitarist and founding member of the legendary country band Alabama, who hailed from nearby Fort Payne. It is one of the more unusual patriotic monuments in the state.
