BRUNSWICK – Joshua Chamberlain has arrived home in Brunswick.

An 8-foot bronze statue of the former Maine governor and Civil War hero has been placed on a granite pedestal in a memorial park created in Chamberlain’s honor in Brunswick.

The statue was the idea of a group of residents who formed a committee in 1999 to raise $200,000 to create a statue and park for one of the town’s most famous residents. A dedication ceremony will be held May 31.

The committee commissioned Swanville sculptor Joseph Query to create a bronze statue of Chamberlain, and a park was created at Maine Street and Upper Park Row.

The statue stands between the First Parish Church where Chamberlain worshipped, Bowdoin College where he studied and later served as president, and the home where he lived, which is now the Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum.

“It’s a perfect location,” said Deborah Smith, executive director of the Pejepscot Historical Society and a member of the statue committee. “It ties in all the aspects of his life that were important to Chamberlain.”

Chamberlain was born in 1828 in Brewer, where he spent most of his youth until enrolling at Bowdoin College. He died in 1914 and is buried at Pine Grove Cemetery in Brunswick.

Chamberlain earned distinctions for his battlefield savvy and courage in the Civil War and was promoted to brigadier general in 1864. He served as Maine governor from 1867 through 1871.

The statue, which is a green patina color, shows a serious-looking Chamberlain wearing his sword and general’s uniform, reaching out with his right hand as though he might be giving instructions to his men.

Query said he felt great relief once the statue was placed on its permanent pedestal. Query read books about the Civil War and about Chamberlain, and put his life on hold while he worked on the sculpture.