Prison Ship Martyrs Monument Rededicated
A tipster sent in this photo of the re-dedication of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park. Some 200 folks gathered in the rain yesterday to salute the Stanford White-designed 148-foot Doric column (which had been dedicated exactly 100 years earlier), representing the 12,000 or so Revolutionary War combatants who were captured by…
A tipster sent in this photo of the re-dedication of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park. Some 200 folks gathered in the rain yesterday to salute the Stanford White-designed 148-foot Doric column (which had been dedicated exactly 100 years earlier), representing the 12,000 or so Revolutionary War combatants who were captured by the British and died on prison ships in Wallabout Bay (the Park Slope writer Michael Drinkard wrote a novel about it). The torch atop the column was “re-lit” (with electric lights) after being darkened since 1921, reports Brooklyn Heights Blog, and it took ten years of fundraising and organizing by the Fort Green Park Conservancy to make it happen. Gowanus Lounge also has coverage, with a couple good photos. Anybody out there go?
Memorial to Revolutionary War Patriots Shines Anew in Brooklyn [NY Daily News]
Prison Ship Martyrs Monument Rededicated at Fort Greene Park [WNYC]
An Eternal Flame Relit Over Brooklyn [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
Prison Ship Martyrs Centennial: Cold & Somber [Gowanus Lounge]
Photo by JAtkins.
Not-really-related, but nifty factoids anyway:
1.) This is the 3rd “incarnation” of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument – the first one was set up by the Tammany Society in 1844 near Brooklyn Navy Yard waterfront, the 2nd one was a crypt in FGP itself (don’t know if it still exists… any locals up for a historical hunt?).
2.) According to a few sources (Wikipedia doesn’t count!), the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument is THE TALLEST free-standing Doric column in the world. Granted, it’s a pretty narrow niche, but still – if that’s the case, hey, count it as another “world record” in Brooklyn’s long list thereof. 😀
3.) There seems to be some uncertainty about the actual height – 145 vs 148 feet. Depends on whether you count the decorations on top?, I guess. Or historians repeating themselves? Hm… anyone care to climb the tower with a measuring tape? 😀
Zinka, I think its a combination: Floodlights on the column, and fiber optic lighting focused on the bronze flame seated on the top of the urn. I took a good look at it last night with binoculars from my window.
Guvna, what they’re doing is *not* a fiber-optic lighting. The whole outside of the monument is lit up, not just the flame. It’s floodlights.
Dont mind me. As I stated above, I am genuinely happy to have it restored and illuminated. I was just a victim of marketing by the conservancy. I am over it now :o)
Here is an excerp from the restoration plans: “The bronze flame on top of the urn will be illuminated by discreet fiber optic fixtures to provide a soft lighting effect, similar to the 1905 lighting design.” So I guess they did what they planned to do. It is unfortunate that they deem that to be relighting an eternal flame. I guess it would’ve been less dramatic for them to have announced that they would be providing a soft lighting effect to the urn on the top of the column. LOL
I was also hoping for some flame-action. Oh well. I went this afternoon to check out the monument and the plaza area that has been fenced off for so long. It looks beautiful and I am so glad that this part of the park has re opened!
Edwin Burrows, a history professor at Brooklyn College and Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of Gotham (that gigantic tome about the history of NYC until 1898) is finishing up a book on Revolutionary War prisoners. Should be out soon.
I happened to be in the park with a friend one night quite a few months ago when they were testing the fiber optic ‘eternal flame.’ They had it running, and it actually looked pretty cool. We walked up to monument and got to chat with some of the workers there. Not sure what happened to the flame over the weekend. Technical glitch?
The torch of Lady liberty is floodlit. What would you prefer? Whale oil?