Veterans of Tuscaloosa County who served in the nine major American wars from 1776 to 1976 are honored here. At the center rises the mainmast of the World War II heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa, which fought in five crucial campaigns. Around the mast stand nine granite tablets depicting the wars within a broken circle intended to symbolize the end of warfare. The site was once the location of the chapel of the 140 acre Northington U.S. Army General Hospital, which operated from 1943 to 1947 and was named for Dr. Eugene Northington, an Alabama pioneer in the use of medical X-rays.