USS Maine National Monument

The USS Maine National Monument stands as a sentinel at the Merchant's Gate entrance to Central Park, marking a pivotal moment when the United States emerged as a global power. Dedicated on Memorial Day in 1913, the monument commemorates the 266 American sailors who lost their lives when the battleship USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898. The disaster served as a catalyst for the Spanish-American War, an event that reshaped American borders and influence across the globe. Newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst ignited the project just days after the explosion, utilizing his New York Morning Journal to solicit public donations from across the country to fund the massive structure.