In 1908 the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument was dedicated. This was a very big deal then with President-elect Taft in attendance. it commemorated the 11,500 American Patriots who died of neglect during the war on rotting British prison ships in the nearby East River. The American Revolution has no more hallowed place than this. Not even Valley Forge is more hallowed. All those men could have left at any time by agreeing to join the British Navy or Army. The dead were dumped overboard or buried on the shore in very shallow graves. Large numbers of bones were found in the area for decades. They were gathered up early in the 19th century and kept in a small crypt. But it was not until 1908 that a major granite crypt, and the tall tower with light at the top were dedicated. In the years after that, World War One, and political, social, and economic turmoil, caused neglect to the monument, and the light went out in the 1920's. By the 1970's the Fort Greene, Brooklyn, neighborhood, and the monument and surrounding park were in disrepair. Only the great work of community activists, later with local political leaders and corporations for funding, did the restoration get done. Exactly one hundred years after the first dedication, on Nov. 15th, 1908, the monument was rededicated - and the tower relighted. It is a great success by all. And I had a great time partaking of the speeches, songs, music, and assorted ceremonies. The Official Site of the Ceremonies MY ONLINE PHOTO GALLERY A few samples: Crypt and tower:
