GREENFIELD — Maybe you’ve walked past the statue in front of the Leavitt-Hovey House on Main Street and not known who it depicted, or what exactly the soldier’s significance was to the area.

Or maybe you’ve brought visitors to Poet’s Seat Tower, but aren’t quite familiar with how it became such an iconic Greenfield monument.

In a new social media campaign, “Momentous Mondays,” the city aims to spotlight some of the city’s monuments, murals and landmarks, while also shedding a little light on their history. 

“When I took the position in June, one of the things I wanted to focus on … was really enhancing the social media presence for Greenfield,” said Communications Director Matthew Conway. “Not only as a tool for information but also to promote a lot of great things going on in the community.”

Conway launched the social media initiative with a photo of the Spanish-American War memorial outside the Leavitt-Hovey House. According to the Facebook post, the statue was constructed in 1928 and honors the Massachusetts infantry (Company L, 2nd Regiment Massachusetts Infantry U.S.V.) for its service. The infantry unit was led by Capt. Frederick Pierce, who would later become a postmaster in Greenfield after the war.

The series has also featured the iconic Poet’s Seat Tower, located on Rocky Mountain. In 1873, a wooden tower was erected at the top of Rocky Mountain, according to the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA). The tower burned down in 1903 and roughly a decade later, a new one was built to honor the memory of American poet Frederick Goddard Tuckerman, who composed many of his sonnets in Greenfield.

“I’m learning from some of these people in the comments,” Conway added. “It’s great to have that experience of a shared sense of community.”

As someone who is not originally from the area, Conway said he has the luxury of seeing many of the sights of Greenfield with “fresh eyes.”

“These are staples of the community that everyone has a lot of care and affinity toward,” he said. “It’s something I wanted to do to promote community pride.”

He said he anticipates highlighting a new monument, mural or landmark each Monday through the end of the year.

“There are so many people in Greenfield that have so much investment in the city,” Conway said. “I think Momentous Monday is a great tool for sharing … and learning more about so many of these great sites.”

Posts can be found on the city’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GreenfieldMassachusetts/) or its Instagram page (@greenfieldmass). 

Reporter Mary B yrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.