CLEVELAND, Ohio - The iconic Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument on the southeast quadrant of Public Square has a new caretaker and guide just in time for the busy summer season and the annual tunnel tours on Saturday.

Rachel Zembo is a Cleveland native with a lifelong fascination for history and a zest for sharing her passion with school children and visitors to the 123-year-old monument to the 9,000 Cuyahoga County residents who served in the Civil War.

Zembo, 26, came to the monument in February after working on Public Square for three years for the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. She replaced Tim Leslie, who served as caretaker for 12 years prior to his death last year.

Zembo said she admired Leslie and hopes to carry on his tradition of sharing a love and appreciation for the masterwork of architect/sculptor Levi Scofield, who previously had served as a captain in the Union Army.

"It's fascinating to me that so many people have lived their entire lives in Cleveland yet they've never stepped foot in here," said Zembo, the first woman to hold the position. "Some people will come in on a whim and end up spending an hour in here."

After weathering more than a century of Cleveland winters and general neglect, attendance at the monument had declined to about 9,000 visitors annually 10 years ago. But a $2 million renovation and the recent $50 million transformation of Public Square have given its centerpiece a new vibrancy, attracting 100,000 visitors per year since Public Square was reopened in 2016, said Ted Prasse, monument commission president.

The monument's most recognizable feature is the 125-foot-tall central column, a granite shaft crowned by a 15-foot-tall statue of Lady Liberty. Scofield's wife, Elizabeth, was the model for the statue, Zembo said.

Inside the monument, visitors will find marble tablets etched with the names of Cuyahoga County residents who served in the Union Army during the Civil War, 1,100 of whom died. Large bronze relief sculptures cover the four walls of the center, depicting some of the leading participants from the war, including President Abraham Lincoln freeing a slave by removing his shackles and handing him a rifle.

"Sometimes students will ask, 'What does the Civil War have to do with me?' I explain to them that our country is what it is today because of the Civil War," Zembo said.

"I love history," she said. "Being able to help people to look back into history and to learn the differences these people made for our country is a lifelong dream of mine."

Zembo and co-caretaker Shane Doyle will lead the free tours of the tunnels underneath the landmark structure on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors must be in line by 5 p.m. to get in before closing.

Hours at the monument are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday. The monument will be open seven days a week after Memorial Day.