#MonumentMonday

#America250

Every week I post pictures of a Revolutionary War monument in New York or beyond.

The statue of Benjamin Franklin on Park Row in Manhattan was originally dedicated on January 17 1872–Franklin’s birthday. It was sculpted by German-American Ernst Plassman, who also authored the statue of Cornelius Vanderbilt at Grand Central Terminal.

The statue was commissioned by renowned ship captain Albert de Groot, who commanded many of Vanderbilt’s steamboats. De Groot was very grateful to New York City’s printers and publishers, who had provided Marina with valuable info over the years. Park Row was also known then as Printing House Row and was home to many of the city’s newspapers, wire services, publishers, lithographers, etc. The 12th-foot-high statue portrays Franklin holding a copy of the Pennsylvania Gazette, a newspaper he was long associated with.

The pedestal was paid for by a committee of journalists. It was made of 16 tons of granite from Connecticut. It was the largest piece of stone ever transported to New York City, according to the Times.

One year earlier, a cornerstone was laid at the location of the statue following a ceremony with Masonic rites. A time capsule was placed inside containing copies of the U.S. Constitution, the New York constitution, a Bible, Appleton’s Railroad Guide, and various printed almanacs, journals, calendars, etc.

The statue was unveiled with over 20,000 people attending according to newspaper reports. The main speaker of the event was Samuel Morse, and it was also attended by figures such as Horace Greeley and Henry Ward Beecher. After the dedication, the dignitaries attended a banquet at Delmonicos where each guest was given a print of the a September 10 1741 Pennsylvania Gazette.

The dedication was Morse’s last public event. He died 3 months later.