{"id":101067,"date":"2024-11-15T10:40:32","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T15:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=101067"},"modified":"2024-11-15T10:41:02","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T15:41:02","slug":"provincetown-pilgrim-monument-history-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/provincetown-pilgrim-monument-history-part-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Provincetown Pilgrim Monument History (part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry concludes her story about the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown, a 252-foot-tall granite tower honoring the Pilgrims\u2019 first steps ashore the New World. Melissa is a genealogist who has a website, americana-archives.com<\/a>, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today I continue my story on the Pilgrim Monument at Provincetown<\/a>, Massachusetts, focusing on the manpower behind the scenes, using information furnished by the archives and a special collection of photographs taken by John R. Smith<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I also include information from Edmund J. Carpenter\u2019s book The Pilgrims and Their Monument<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: the lighting of the Pilgrim Monument on High Pole Hill, Provincetown, an annual tradition on November 11. Credit: Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here is a photo of the workmen at the construction site of the Pilgrim Monument, who labored from 1907 to 1910 to erect this glorious monument that dominates the skyline. Unfortunately, the image is not labeled.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: workmen gathered on the stone base of the Pilgrim Monument, taken by John R. Smith. Credit: Provincetown History Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On 12 March 1908 a contract was made between Edward Burr<\/a> of the United States Corps of Engineers and Patrick T. Maguire<\/a> from the firm of Maguire & O\u2019Heron of Milton, Massachusetts, to build the monument on the existing foundation on Town Hill. (The cornerstone had already been laid by President Theodore Roosevelt in a special ceremony on 20 August 1907.)<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Brigadier General Edward Burr (1859-1952), taken in 1918 by an unknown photographer. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the winter of 1909-10, while the workmen were working on the interior of the monument, the news came \u2013 suddenly and unexpectedly \u2013 of the death of the contractor, Patrick T. Maguire. His death was under somewhat tragic circumstances, though not in any way connected with his contract for the building of the monument.<\/p>\n

Maguire\u2019s death of blood poisoning at the age of 43 started with a slight scratch, according to an obituary in the archives of the Provincetown History Project.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: obituary for Patrick T. Maguire. Credit: Provincetown History Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This article reports:<\/p>\n

Mr. Maguire was infected in a peculiar way. Several weeks ago, while reaching into a vest pocket, the end of his thumb was pricked by a piece of broken eyeglass. A few days afterward the thumb began to swell and then the arm.<\/p>\n

The poison spread all over his body and despite the best of medical treatment Mr. Maguire continued to sink until yesterday morning, when he died. He is survived by his wife and several small children.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Patrick Thomas Maguire. Credit: Provincetown History Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The agreement made by Burr and Maguire stipulated that the granite for the construction of the tower should be taken from the quarries of John L. Goss, of Stonington, Maine, and those of the Rockport Granite Company, Rockport, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

I found this newspaper clip from 1905 about one stone that was sent from motherland England to be used as the first block laid to commemorate the first landing of the Mayflower<\/em> Pilgrims in 1620.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Trenton Evening Times (Trenton, New Jersey), 9 September 1905, page 9<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The stone was selected from a wall of the village churchyard in Austerfield, England, the native lands where Governor William Bradford and several other Pilgrims once lived.<\/p>\n

As mentioned above, President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the Pilgrim Monument on 20 August 1907. Below is a photo of the event.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: on 20 August 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Construction began on the Pilgrim Monument on 18 June 1908. The first piece of granite, weighing 4,000 pounds, was swung into place upon the foundation without any formal ceremony.<\/p>\n

Work continued throughout the summer under the immediate direction of Fred George, representing the contractor, and Will A. Clark, on behalf of the United States government.<\/p>\n

\"Photos:
Photos: William A Clark and Fred George. Credit: Provincetown History Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A condition in the grant from the government was that the monument be used as an observatory tower in case of war. At 252 feet high, the shaft is 39 feet higher than the one on Bunker Hill.<\/p>\n

There was a slight hiccup early on: the work on the Pilgrim Monument was stopped for several days because of a stonecutters\u2019 strike.<\/p>\n

\"Worcester<\/a>
Worcester Telegram (Worcester, Massachusetts), 14 May 1908, page 8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The stonecutters banded together to form a union and reached a settlement with the Quincy Granite Manufacturers Association.<\/p>\n

Here are some photographs of the workmen during the project, from the John R. Smith Collection and Althea Boxell Scrapbook, all courtesy of the Provincetown History Project.<\/p>\n

\"Photos:
Photos: the very beginning of constructing the Pilgrim Monument. Credit: Provincetown History Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Photo:
Photo: early stages of constructing the Pilgrim Monument, before the first stone was laid. Credit: Provincetown History Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Photo:
Photo: another view of the early stages of constructing the Pilgrim Monument, before the first stone was laid. Credit: Provincetown History Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here is a picture showing how much progress had been made after the first year\u2019s work. This photo was taken in June 1909 from Hyden Street.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: the Pilgrim Monument after one year of construction. Credit: Provincetown History Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And it would not be fitting if I left out the only fatality associated with the construction of the Pilgrim Monument. The victim was Rosilla (Rich) Bangs, widow of Solomon Bangs. She was 85 years old.<\/p>\n

\"Photos:
Photos: a newsclip about the death of Rosilla Bangs, and a photo of her taken a few years before her death. Credit: Provincetown History Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This article reports:<\/p>\n

Only one fatal accident occurred during the construction of the Pilgrim Monument at Provincetown. A severe thunderstorm accompanied by lightning rent the skies on August 5, 1908. Near the base of the monument stood a granite car, used to transport the huge stone blocks up the hill. Evidently the lightning broke it loose from its fastenings, and it plunged down the steep slope of the hill with terrific velocity. At the base it crashed through a timber structure built as a stopper, bounded across the street at the foot of the hill, and fatally injured Mrs. Rosilla Bangs, an 85-year-old Provincetown woman.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rosilla Bangs<\/a> (1822-1908) was the daughter of Samuel and Thankful (Bangs) Rich and a direct descendant of Mayflower<\/em> passengers Richard Warren, John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley. She also had Gov. Thomas Prence and Henry Howland in her line. She married Solomon and left descendants.<\/p>\n

Explore over 330 years of newspapers and historical records in GenealogyBank. Discover your family story! Start a 7-Day Free Trial<\/a><\/p>\n

Note on the header image:<\/em><\/strong> Pilgrim Monument, Provincetown, Massachusetts. Credit: Hscott0024; Wikimedia Commons.<\/p>\n

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