In a year of anniversary observances, Westport on Thursday will mark the 100th anniversary of perhaps its most famous symbol — the Minute Man statue.
Minute Man statue: dedicated on June 17, 1910. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Helen Klisser During for WestportNow.com
A 4 p.m. ceremony at the statue will include a proclamation by First Selectman Gordon F. Joseloff, a reading of a 1910 poem about the statue by the Rev. Frank Hall of Westport’s Unitarian Church, and a musket salute from members of The Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution in Colonial uniform.
It was the Sons of the American Revolution who in 1908 commissioned the statue by sculptor H. Daniel Webster and presided over its unveiling on June 17, 1910 at its present location on Compo Beach Road and Compo Road South.They were joined by Daughters of the Revolution, prominent state figures, and townspeople.
Also participating in Thursday’s centennial observance will be members of the Westport Historical Society and Westport Woman’s Club, whose 103rd Yankee Doodle Fair begins at 5 p.m. that day.
The 1910 unveiling of the Minute Man statue, which commemorates the resistance to the April 25, 1777 Compo landing by British troops, was cause for much celebration, according to a commemorative booklet published at the time.
“From the east, on the 11:28 train came a large delegation far off as Hartford.,” it said. “From the west on the 11:58 were others, while all roads led to Compo and trains, trolleys, and vehicles lined the streets.”
A noon clambake at the pavilion at Compo Beach preceded the dedication ceremony and then about 300 participants marched to the statue, according to the booklet. “About this time throngs lined the way to the scene,” it said.
Judge Morris B. Beardsley of Bridgeport, who headed the statue committee, said: “…For all the years to come, the Minute Man, poised to catch a last shot at the invading Red Coats, will tell the story to every passer by, or at least will give him the suggestion which may lead him to study it.
A festive ceremony marked the 1910 unveiling of the statue. Helen Klisser During for WestportNow.com
“And the beautiful conception of the artist will show to people yet unborn what manner of men those were who, learning of the presence of the hated foe in those days when there were none of the present methods of spreading information in an incredibly short time, left their homes, marched all night and all day in the storm, and then dared to oppose the veteran troops of England, although outnumbering them three to one…”
Lewis B. Curtis, president of the Connecticut Sons of the American Revolution, then transferred care of the statue to First Selectman Lewis P. Wakeman. “You may well feel proud of it, for it not only marks a most important historical spot, but it is itself a thing of beauty,” Curtis said.
Wakeman responded: “In accepting this memorial of bygone days and heroes for the Town of Westport, it is with the profoundest appreciation of the spirit of those who honor us with the gift, as well as the history that made such a memorial possible, plausible.”
Sculptor Webster also addressed the crowd, saying, “Among the profession it is considered very bad form for a sculptor to make a speech at the unveiling of his own work.”
A 1910 booklet commemorates the unveiling of Westport’s Minute Man statue. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo
He went on: “My hope is that this monument may be a worthy reminder to the coming generations of all that we owe to the splendid men of the American Revolution, whose sons and daughters we are proud to be.”
Participants in the dedication ceremony noted that the June 17 date was also Bunker Hill Day which marks the anniversary of the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill, one of the earliest major battles of the Revolutionary War.
Massachusetts observes the day as a holiday, and this year some Westport members of the Sons of the American Revolution are traveling to Boston to participate in the commemoration, just as they did 100 years ago.
Members of other units will participate in the Westport centennial observance.
