TAMPA
People are known from time to time to misspell "cavalry," the army on horseback, as "Calvary," where Jesus was crucified.
But you don't usually see it chiseled wrong in metal.
That's why people were surprised to spot the mistake on a new Civil War monument at the Hillsborough County Veterans Memorial Park and Museum.
The offending plaque is now covered by a sheet of white paper, awaiting replacement. The monument honors soldiers from Hillsborough County who fought on both sides of the Civil War.
"I don't care what you build, mistakes will be made," said Dave Braun, who helped spearhead the Civil War memorial. "We've been doing this a long time and believe me, mistakes have been made. Most of the time we catch them before they go to print, so to say."
For nearly 20 years, the 13-acre park at 3602 U.S. 301 has painstakingly designed and built 14 memorials to troops from Hillsborough County who lost their lives in every United States conflict from the Seminole Wars to the global war on terror.
It wasn't clear where the mistake was made - before or during the engraving process.
But the replacement cost of $1,635 will probably be born by the nonprofit Veterans Memorial Park and Museum committee, which partners with the county to operate the park, said Tom Aderhold, chairman of the park and museum.
No one noticed until a visitor pointed it out a few months ago, Aderhold said. Since then, "everyone and their brother have taken pictures of the plaque."
The Civil War memorial, still under construction, consists of eight plaques attached to two granite obelisks that describe the Civil War's Battle of Fort Brooke - a Union invasion targeting Confederate blockade runners and named for the military fort that stood near the mouth of the Hillsborough River.
The memorial also showcases Hillsborough County veterans and casualties from the Civil War. An official dedication will likely be scheduled for February.
The memorial was designed to be sensitive to divisions over the Civil War that still linger, Aderhold said.
It was even the subject of a lawsuit over a recommendation to call it the War Between the States memorial and to feature a Maltese Cross, considered a Confederate icon.
"I can't tell you how much care was taken to make sure the obelisks were the exact same size and color," Aderhold said. "Even the plaques are neutral. We don't want to offend anybody."
Contact Tim Fanning at tfanning@Tampabay.com. Follow at @TimothyJFanning.
