The maritime heritage of Brewster, Mass., is reflected in the number of sea captains, several lost at sea, who are honored in Brewster Cemetery.
During a recent visit to the cemetery, on Lower Road, we found more than 13 graves bearing the names of local captains who were lost or died while abroad.
According to the 1906 book “Brewster Ship Masters” by J. Henry Sears, Brewster is believed to have supplied the most sea captains (as a percentage of population) of any town in the nation. By 1840, when the town’s population was about 1,000, more than 115 residents had captained a ship.
In 1850, at the height of Brewster’s maritime prosperity, more than 50 captains were living in town at the same time.
The following excerpt from the book demonstrates the importance of international trade to Brewster:
In the [18]40’s and 50’s the young man born in Brewster, who did not go to sea as soon as his schooling was complete was a shiftless no-account, unfit to associate with the aristocracy. His comrades shipped as cabin-boys, under Brewster captains of their fathers’ acquaintance and with Brewster mates and many Brewster members of the crew, studied navigation, and, at ages ranging from twenty-one to twenty-five, became captains themselves.
As the following excerpt illustrates, the dependence on the sea was hard on Brewster families, and often ended unhappily:
Women and children saw husbands and fathers only at long intervals and waited for news of their arrival in far-off ports. Sometimes they waited, and when the news came it was in the form of a letter from a mate or a steward and told of a death and burial at sea…Many a stone in the Brewster cemetery has “lost at sea” carven on it and the mystery of that loss will always be a mystery.
For example, Capt. Alfred F. Knowles was born in Brewster in 1839, and was lost along with the ship “Southern Eagle” after a typhoon struck during a voyage between Rangoon (the former capital of Myanmar, then known as Burma) and Liverpool in May of 1870.
Similarly, Capt. Nathan F. Foster was a Brewster native who was born in 1833. He was on the ship “Centaur” when it caught fire in August 1874 during a trip between Liverpool and San Francisco. The crew made it onto three boats, but Foster was never heard from.
The fact that many families multiple members at sea meant some experienced tragedy more than once. Capt. Theophilus Berry and his wife Sarah lost Theophilus, Jr. in 1817 at the age of 16 and Capt. Isaac F. Berry in 1829 at the age of 24.
According to the Sears book, the importance of the sea trade had passed by the end of the 19th Century and was gradually replaced by tourism as Brewster’s primary source of revenue. Instead of sailing to distant lands, Brewster’s youth has the safer choice of frying clam strips and scooping ice cream.
Many of the former captain’s homes remain along Main Street and, together with the headstones standing atop empty graves in Brewster Cemetery, help today’s tourists understand the town’s maritime past.
Tags: Massachusetts
The Village of Newfane, Vermont, honors its war heroes and veterans with several monuments on the town common.
The 1916 Soldiers’ Monument honors veterans of the Civil War and World War I. The monument, near the intersection of Route 30 and Jail Street, features a bronze infantryman standing atop a granite base.
A dedication on the monument’s front (east) face reads, “In memory of the men of Newfane who served their country in the Civil War, 1861 – 1865.”
Immediately below the dedication plaque, another bronze plaque displays a Civil War scene as well as an excerpt from the “Bivouac of the Dead,” a poem by Theodore O’Hara that was used on numerous Civil War monuments and sites.
The north and south sides of the monument’s base feature plaques listing local residents who served in the Civil War.
The monument’s west face bears a plaque listing the names of 34 residents who served in World War I.
The infantry figure was supplied by the WH Mullins Company of Ohio, and the base was supplied by the CH Grant Granite Company.
Not far from the Soldiers’ Monument, a bronze plaque mounted on a granite memorial honors Newfane’s World War II veterans. The plaque lists the names of 90 residents who served in the conflict, and highlights one who was killed.
Also nearby is a monument honoring Newfane’s veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars. The Korean War section lists 30 residents who served. The Vietnam section honors 38 residents, including one who was killed in action.
Thanks for Mom and Dad for taking the photos.
Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Art Inventories Catalog
Tags: Vermont
A New Haven site that’s hosted a series of forts now bears the name of American Revolution hero Nathan Hale.
Fort Nathan Hale Park is a 20-acre historic and recreational site on the eastern shore of New Haven Harbor. The park features reconstructions of American Revolution and Civil War forts as well as a statue of Nathan Hale.
Black Rock Fort, which stands on the far edge of the site, is a recreated American Revolution fort from which 19 militia members fired cannons at British ships during the 1779 invasion of New Haven.
The English cannon mounted at the fort site was dedicated by a local DAR chapter in 1914.
Near the Black Rock Fort site are two restored bombproof shelters that were part of the Civil War fort. Off-duty troops would have stayed in the shelters, which were guarded by large mounds of earth.
The fort was protected by a moat that was crossed by a drawbridge. The drawbridge opened and closed by sliding the center section, which rested on railroad-like tracks.
The site also features a statue of Nathan Hale in the center of a small courtyard ringed by flagpoles with the current U.S. flag as well as flags from the Colonial Era, the American Revolution, War of 1812, and the Civil War.
The Hale statue is a fiberglass copy of a 1914 figure by Bela Lyon Pratt at Yale University, from which Hale graduated in 1773. Another copy of the Lyon statue is displayed at the CIA headquarters building in Langley, Virginia.
Hale, the official state hero, is also honored with a statue in New London and a bust in East Haddam (both communities in which he taught) as well as a statue at the state capitol building.
The Fort Nathan Hale site, next to a Coast Guard station, has seen several uses since it last hosted an active fort. In 1921, it was turned over to the City of New Haven, and it was used as a recreation area until it was damaged during the hurricane of 1938.
In the late 1960s, an effort was launched to restore the site in time for the U.S. bicentennial celebration in 1976.
Today, Fort Nathan Hale is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Tags: New Haven
A Groton memorial honors World War II submarine veterans and the more than 3,600 submariners who lost their lives during the conflict.
The largest feature of the World War II National Submarine Memorial on Bridge Street is the conning tower of the USS Flasher (SS-249). The Flasher, built by Groton’s Electric Boat and commissioned in 1943, was credited with sinking the highest tonnage of Japanese ships (24 vessels and more than 100,000 tons) during World War II.
The memorial site also features a Wall of Honor with polished granite panels listing the 3,617 submariners who died in the World War II. A dedication panel at the center of the wall honors the submariners’ sacrifices and memory.
Another monument at the site honors the 52 submarines lost between January 1941 and August 1945. Bronze plaques list the name of the vessel and the date of its sinking.
The submarines are also honored with engraved granite panels lining one of the memorial’s walkways. The panels list a submarine, the number of crew members killed and the date each sub was lost.
The submarine memorial began with the display of the Flasher’s conning tower in 1964 at a site on Route 12. In 1974, the Flasher was moved to its present, well-maintained location. The Wall of Honor was dedicated in 1994.
World War II submarine veterans are honored with a similar memorial outside the Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach, California.
Sources: U.S. Submarine Veterans, Inc. brochure, submarinehistory.com
Milford honors submarine pioneer and local resident Simon Lake by displaying a submarine at a Milford Harbor marina.
Simon Lake, a New Jersey native, lived in Milford between 1907 and his passing in 1945. Lake launched the first submarine to operate in open water, the Argonaut, Jr., in 1898.
Between 1909 and 1923, Lake built 33 submarines for U.S. Navy and also constructed vessels for European nations.
Lake’s last submarine, the two-man Explorer, was built in 1936 and was designed for civilian uses such as underwater research, mining and oil drilling, and wreck hunting and salvage. During underseas operations, the Explorer depended on a mother ship for air and power.
Divers entered the Explorer through the round hatchway. Peering inside the sub’s front windows reveals an array of switches, valves and chains.
World War II reduced civilian demand for submarines, and the Explorer was stored in drydock and remained there until 1950. After years of neglect, the Explorer was placed on display outside Bridgeport’s Museum of Art, Science and Industry (today’s Discovery Museum) until 1974.
The Explorer was restored and displayed at the Groton Navy Submarine base before it returned to its current location in Milford during the late 1990s.
Between 1960 and June 2010, Milford also had an elementary school that bore Simon Lake’s name. The school produced a newsletter named the Explorer.
Source: Simon Lake.com
Tags: Milford
The 1871 Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Providence’s Kennedy Plaza is notable for its size and details, as well as the tribute it paid to Rhode Island’s African-American Civil War veterans.
The monument, directly in front of City Hall, stands in the plaza between where Fulton and Washington streets meet Dorrance Street.
The monument features a female allegorical with a laurel wreath in an outstretched right arm. A dedication on the monument’s front (northeast) face reads, “”Rhode Island pays tribute to the memory of the brave men who died that their country might live.”
A dedication plaque on the monument’s west base, erected by the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, honors the members of the 1st Rhode Island and the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored) who fought in the Civil War.
The monument’s base includes four buttresses topped with bronze figures representing infantry, cavalry, artillery and naval veterans.
Large bronze plaques on the monument’s base list residents killed in the war. The names are arranged by rank within their regimental affiliation.
Bronze bas-relief plaques also depict allegorical representations of war, victory, peace and history (illustrated as a African-American woman holding broken shackles).
The monument was designed by sculptor Randolph Rogers, who also created the Columbus Doors in the U.S. Capitol rotunda, and architect Alfred Stone. The figures were sculpted in Rome and cast in Munich, and the monument was assembled in Providence.
The monument was dedicated in its present location in 1871, and was moved in 1913 when Kennedy Plaza (then named Exchange Place) was constructed. It was returned to its original location in 1997 as part of renovations to the plaza.
Tags: Rhode Island
A granite monument standing 81 feet tall honors the first English settlers to land in Plymouth, Mass.
The National Monument to the Forefathers stands in a state park on Allerton Street. If you look at the first picture in this post, the small people in the lower left will give you a good indication of the size of this massive and intricate monument.
The monument, the largest solid-granite monument in the United States, was dedicated in 1889 (30 years after its cornerstone was laid).
A dedication on the monument’s northeast face reads, “National Monument to the Forefathers. Erected by a grateful people in remembrance of their labors, sacrifices and sufferings for the cause of civil and religious liberty.”
The monument features several allegorical figures depicting virtues the Pilgrims, known in Plymouth as the Forefathers, brought with them when they arrived in Massachusetts in 1620.
The largest figure, Faith, is 36 feet tall and weighs 180 tons by itself. Faith, holding a Bible, stands atop a granite column facing toward Plymouth Harbor and England. (The osprey nest on Faith’s head is not part of the original design.)
The eight-sided column features four buttresses with seated 15-foot-tall allegorical figures. Moving counterclockwise from the monument’s front, the north face features a representation of Morality, a woman holding a tablet bearing the beginning of the Ten Commandments, “I am the Lord thy God.”
Niches in the base of Morality’s throne honor prophecy and evangelism.
The west face depicts Law, a man holding a book. Law is flanked by smaller figures depicting justice and mercy.
Education graces the south face with a woman pointing to a book in her lap. Representations of wisdom and youth flank Education’s throne.
The east face features a representation of Liberty, a seated warrior with a sword in his right arm and a broken chain in his left. He is flanked by depictions of peace and tyranny, symbolizing the defeat of tyranny and the resulting peace.
Along with the allegorical figures, the monument’s buttresses also feature bas-relief sculptures depicting scenes such as the Pilgrims departing England and landing on the shores of Plymouth and interacting with Native Americans.
The side of the monument’s face also bears panels listing the names of the Pilgrim settlers, and a quote from William Bradford, a governor of the colony.
The monument was designed primarily by Boston sculptor Hammatt Billings, who was also responsible for the Civil War monument in Concord, Mass. As large was the Forefathers monument stands, Billings’ original design called for it to be nearly twice as high at 150 feet (just under the Statue of Liberty’s height, including the pedestal, of 151 feet).
The monument’s height was reduced when funding became short during the Civil War.
The monument was commissioned by the Pilgrim Society, which maintained the monument and the small park surrounding it until the site was deeded to the commonwealth in 2001.
The Pilgrims are also honored with a monument in Provincetown, Mass., that was dedicated in 1910. The Pilgrims originally landed in Provincetown, but after five weeks, decided the far end of Cape Cod would be better suited for T-shirt shops and restaurants than for farming. The group then migrated west to the more-sheltered area that became Plymouth.
Tags: Massachusetts
White Plains honors its Civil War veterans with a monument in a downtown park.
The Soldiers’ Monument, dedicated in 1872, features the uncommon choice of a zinc statue of an infantryman standing atop a more-traditional granite base. A dedication on the monument’s front (west) face reads, “To the soldiers of White Plains who died in the service of their country in the Civil War 1861-1865.”
The monument’s north and south faces each list the names of about a dozen residents killed in the conflict.
The east face bears the dedication, “Erected by their late comrades and the Town of White Plains, July 4, 1872.”
The monument stands in Tibbets Park, near the intersection of Main Street (Route 119) and South Broadway (Route 122).
A large cherry tree directly in front of the monument prevents careful exploration and photography.
Information about the monument’s sculptor and supplier haven’t come to light, but the White Plains soldier is a copy of a monument that stood on the Civil War monument in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
White Plains’ World War I monument stands a short walk north of the Civil War monument. The monument, which features an artillery rifle, bears a simple dedication to soldiers, sailors and marines on its north face.
The use of zinc was relatively uncommon in Civil War monuments. Zinc was marketed as “white bronze” and used, primarily for smaller cemetery monuments, in the late 19th century. The material resists wearing and fading better than marble or granite, but can become brittle after extended exposure to cold weather.
In addition, large zinc monuments often have difficulty supporting their weight, so they often needed later reinforcement with internal steel frameworks.
All-zinc monuments can be found in Stratford, Conn., Gettysburg and several other locations.
The combination of zinc and granite found in White Plains can also be seen in Orleans, Mass.
Tags: New York
Stonington honors the successful defense of the town against British warships during the War of 1812 with a granite monument.
The 1830 obelisk, topped with a naval shell, stands in the borough of Stonington’s Cannon Square. An inscription on the monument’s north face reads, “These two guns of 18 pounds caliber were heroically used to repel the attack on Stonington of the English naval vessels Ramilies, 74 guns, Pactolus, 44, Dispatch, 20, Nimrod, 20 and the bomb ship Terror. August 10, 1814.”
The monument’s north face also contains the Latin inscription “In perpetuam rei memoriam” (In everlasting remembrance of the event).
The monument’s south face honors “the defenders of the fort,” and lists the names of 10 residents who presumably manned the cannons during the English attack.
The monument commemorates the defense of Stonington during a British naval bombardment that lasted between August 9-12, 1814. A group of five British warships anchored off Stonington and shelled the city. No lives were lost in the attack, but 40 local buildings were damaged.
The two cannons flanking the monument were returned to the monument site on Tuesday, August 3, after a two-year restoration at Texas A&M. The 18-pounder cannons, cast at West Point Foundry in the 1780s, will be rededicated in ceremonies Saturday.
Tags: Stonington
The site of a monument honoring a British adjutant who spared the life of a local minister during the American Revolution may be sold.
The William Campbell monument in West Haven stands in a small park just north of the Boston Post Road, between Wade and Pruden Streets. The site is owned by the West Haven Historical Society, and published reports say the society is interested in selling the park.
The site today features an 1891 monument that, depending on which account you read, marks the approximate location of where William Campbell was killed during the British invasion of New Haven in 1779, or was buried after the battle.
The monument, a large granite block with a polished west face, bears a dedication reading, “Adjutant William Campbell fell during the British invasion of New Haven, July 5, 1779. Blessed are the merciful.”
The site is surrounded by a metal fence, and the monument is decorated with American and British flags.
During the invasion, Campbell (for whom Campbell Avenue is named) spared the life of a local minister who broke a leg while fleeing from British forces with documents. Campbell ordered troops not to kill the civilian, and Campbell was killed later that day.
According to Peter J. Malia’s excellent history of West Haven, Visible Saints, West Haven, Connecticut, 1648 – 1798
A sign at the monument site indicating the monument marks Campbell’s burial site is a bit optimistic, since the original grave has been lost to history. The site has been examined with ground penetrating radar, and no remains were found under the monument.
The site was maintained by the New Haven Colonial Society until 1977, when it was deeded to the West Haven Historical Society. The society said in published accounts it plans to sell the site and move the monument.
Local officials have expressed opposition to the proposed sale, saying the site and monument should be preserved in today’s condition.
UPDATE (Aug. 6) – Connecticut Attorney General has asked the historical society to stop efforts to sell the monument site, saying the sale would violate the deed transferring the site to the society.
Tags: West Haven