http://www.fortgreenepark.org/pages/prisonship.htm
Photograph of the first monument and crypt at Fort Greene Park from the Olmstead master plan.
The original monument for the Prison Ship Martyrs shown around 1840.
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The Monument for the Prison Ship Martyrs that stands today in the heart of Fort Greene Park is actually the third incarnation of this sacred memorial. The story of the horrid Prison Ships that were anchored in Wallabout Bay -- and the ghastly conditions suffered by American men, woman & children POWs imprisoned on them during the Revolutionary War -- is one of the most disturbing chapters in American History.
Long after the war was over, bones of the POWs would regularly wash up along the shores of Brooklyn and Long Island. These bones were collected by Brooklynites with the hopes of creating a permanent resting place for the remains of the brave Prison Ship Martyrs. The first monument was erected in the early 1800s by the Tammany Society of New York. It was located near the Brooklyn Navy Yard waterfront in what is now called Vinegar Hill.
By the mid-1800s, the original monument was in a state of disrepair and neglect. By 1873 a large stone crypt was constructed in the heart of what is now Fort Greene Park (then called Washington Park), and the bones were re-interred in the crypt. A small monument was erected on the hill above the crypt.
By the close of the 19th century, funds were finally raised for a grander more fitting monument for the Prison Ship Martyrs. The prestigeous architectural firm of McKim. Meade and White was commissioned to design the large 148 ft. tower which stands today in the park. It was univeiled in 1908 with a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony presided over by President Taft. The monument originally housed a staircase and elevator to the top observation deck, which featured a lighted urn and beacon of light which could be seen for miles. The elevator was operational until the 1930s when it, and the monument, fell into disrepair due to a shortage of public funds, neglect and lack of community interest. The elevator was eventually removed by the city in the early 1970s.
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Photograph of the first monument and crypt at Fort Greene Park from the Olmstead master plan.
The original monument for the Prison Ship Martyrs shown around 1840.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The Monument for the Prison Ship Martyrs that stands today in the heart of Fort Greene Park is actually the third incarnation of this sacred memorial. The story of the horrid Prison Ships that were anchored in Wallabout Bay -- and the ghastly conditions suffered by American men, woman & children POWs imprisoned on them during the Revolutionary War -- is one of the most disturbing chapters in American History.
Long after the war was over, bones of the POWs would regularly wash up along the shores of Brooklyn and Long Island. These bones were collected by Brooklynites with the hopes of creating a permanent resting place for the remains of the brave Prison Ship Martyrs. The first monument was erected in the early 1800s by the Tammany Society of New York. It was located near the Brooklyn Navy Yard waterfront in what is now called Vinegar Hill.
By the mid-1800s, the original monument was in a state of disrepair and neglect. By 1873 a large stone crypt was constructed in the heart of what is now Fort Greene Park (then called Washington Park), and the bones were re-interred in the crypt. A small monument was erected on the hill above the crypt.
By the close of the 19th century, funds were finally raised for a grander more fitting monument for the Prison Ship Martyrs. The prestigeous architectural firm of McKim. Meade and White was commissioned to design the large 148 ft. tower which stands today in the park. It was univeiled in 1908 with a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony presided over by President Taft. The monument originally housed a staircase and elevator to the top observation deck, which featured a lighted urn and beacon of light which could be seen for miles. The elevator was operational until the 1930s when it, and the monument, fell into disrepair due to a shortage of public funds, neglect and lack of community interest. The elevator was eventually removed by the city in the early 1970s.
--------------------------------------------------------------
--
The Design-L list for art and architecture, since 1992...
To subscribe, send mailto:design-l-subscribe-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
To signoff, send mailto:design-l-unsubscribe-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Visit archives: http://lists.psu.edu/archives/design-l.html
