By Sarah Stephens
Elmore Autauga News
Click on photos in gallery and scroll through for full size image, and more information including pricing.
Jonathan Hancock, 22, is an industrious, intelligent young man, as well as an Eagle Scout and American patriot.
When he was working on his Eagle Scout project several years ago, he envisioned a Heroes Memorial Plaza to expand what is already located on the grounds of the Autauga County Courthouse. He put that vision to work, with a lot of time and effort, and presented the idea to Autauga County and Prattville officials. They loved the idea, and now a few years later, he is raising funds to make it a reality
Working with the Central Alabama Community Foundation, over$49,000 has already been raised for his vision and CACF is selling memorial bricks to raise the $150,000 cost to honor veterans of all branches of the military. Hancock wants to see a grand area on the Autauga County Courthouse grounds dedicated to veterans, including a fire pit for the proper retirement of American flags that are no longer appropriate for service. All donations are run through CACF rather than given to Jonathan personally just to ensure public trust. The trust is 5013C certified.
Hancock is proud of his family members who served their country in the military. As a Boy Scout, he was with Troop 111, which is connected to Trinity Church of Prattville.
He says through his family and Boy Scouts, he has become a stronger person, and he wants to see his original vision become reality for historic downtown Prattville.
“I used to be a nervous little kid, and at first, I just lazily went through Boy Scouts. Then I saw Scouts that were younger than me, that were talking about how quickly they were advancing and getting merit badges. I realized I was lazy, and that motivated me to get me to the highest rank of Eagle Scout.”
He is the son of Paul and Kelley and lives in Deatsville.
It was during one of his first campouts with the Scouts that he participated in a flag retirement ceremony. “It was not in a trash can, like so many people do, but it was in a professionally made firepit with a formal ceremony.” That began his vision, and it grew from there.
He wants the Heroes Memorial Plaza to tell a story of the men and women who served their country, so they are never forgotten.
“When I was much younger, dad and I were downtown in Prattville and passed the courthouse. I asked my dad, ‘Why do we have a cemetery in front of the courthouse?’”
Hancock said that many memorial plazas he has researched are beautifully crafted and well done.
“Prattville has a lot of veterans and many military families. So, I did a lot of research and found other areas that have done it very well,” he said. “Back in 2018, I pitched the idea to the Autauga County Commission. They said they were interested but wanted to see more plans.”
He met with Larry Smith, a local architect in Prattville that has since passed away. Larry began work on the project and was able to present plans to Jonathan before he passed. “He was very passionate about this project, and I really want to give him credit.”
Jonathan met with more architects with Brown Studio Architecture for help.
The two architects happened to both be Eagle Scouts as well, and worked with Jonathan, asking that he would pay it forward down the road, and help other Scouts to achieve Eagle Scout.
The plan would require moving the monuments but would showcase a larger area professionally done as a memorial plaza. Within the area will be the bricks with names of veterans, benches, six flag poles to represent all branches, walkways and a circle with the professional fire pit for flag disposal.
Hancock said that while the presentation did allow him to obtain his Eagle status, the plan is not yet complete. “I made a promise that I would stay and get the money through fundraising to make it become reality.”
He says this is a labor of love dedicated to all veterans, but definitely for his own family members, including his great-grandfather who served in WWII and a small time in Vietnam.
If you want to get involved, or purchase a brick, you can visit the website for pricing at www.heroplaza.org for more information.
If you have other questions, reach out to Jonathan at [email protected].
You can also reach Jonathan by cell at (334)451-4063.
