Nomination for National Monument to the Forefathers

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

PH0005461 Form 10-300 (Rev. 6-72) 3.

5 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM (Type all entries complete applicable sections) STATE: Massachusetts COUNTY: Plymouth FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY DATE AUG 3 0 19/4 NAME COMMON: National Monument to the Forefathers AND/ OR HISTORIC: same LOCATION STREET AND NUMBER: Allerton Street CITY OR TOWN: Plymouth CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: 12th STATE Massachusetts CODE COUNTY: 025 Plymouth CODE 023 CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY (Check One) District Site OWNERSHIP STATUS Building Structure Object Public Private Both Public Acquisition: In Process Being Considered Occupied Unoccupied - Preservation work AX m/a in progress ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC Yes: Restricted Unrestricted No PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Agricultural Government Commercial Industrial Educational Military Entertainment Museum OWNER OF PROPERTY OWNER'S NAME: Park Private Residence Religious Scientific Pilgrim Society,Mr.Lawrence Geller,Director L Transportation 5itebmineaes -Orher (spesity) RECENEL AUG 8 NATIONAL REGISTER STREET AND NUMBER: 75 Court Street / CITY OR TOWN: STATE: Plymouth LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC: Plymouth Registry of Deeds - STREET AND NUMBER: Russel1 street Massachusetts CITY OR TOWN: Plymouth STATE Massachusetts CODE 025 Massachusetts CODE 025 PLymouth REPRESENTATION IN EXIST ING SURVEYS TITLE OF SURVEY: DATE OF SURVEY: 1967 DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth Federal X State - County Local Massachusetts Historical Commission STREET AND NUMBER: 40 Beacon Street AUG 3 0 1974 CITY OR TOWN: STATE: Boston Massachusetts CODE 025 STATE- COUNTY: ENTRY NUMBER DATE FOR NPS USE ONLY DESCRIPTION (Check One) Deteriorated Excellent CONDITION - Good - Fair (Check One).

[X Unaltered Ruins - Altered DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

Moved - Unexposed (Check One) * Original Site The National Monument to the Forefathers is situated on the crest of a hill, surrounded by lawns and accessible by several brick paths. The Monument and the surrounding landscape designed to complement it are the work of Hammatt Billings, a Boston architect of some note. The scheme of the Monument is a "classical" one, consistent with Billings' attraction to and use of 'classical - i.e. Roman-- motifs in his work. Thecomgosition consists of five figures rep- resenting Faith, Morality,Education, Law, and Liberty placed on and at the base of an octagonal shaft of rusticated granite blocks. The largest of the five sculptures, Faith, is set on top of the 45' granite shaft, appropriately facing east.

She is portrayed with one foot resting on Plymouth Rock; her left hand holds an open Bible, her right is raised heavenward in a gesture of righteous- ness. The figure is colossal; it is 36' high, and is constructed of 14 blocks of granite which weigh a total of 180 tons. ia 36t nigh, an sa co A gift from Oliver Ames, a well- known Massachusetts philanthropist, it was completed in 1877, some three years after Hammatt Billings' death. m The four lesser sculptures of Morality, Law, Education and Liberty are seated upon buttress-like plinths which project from alternate faces at the base of the shaft. They were completed and the monument erected in 1889. The modestly robed figure of Morality is seated at the northeast corner of the monument, - Z above a marble panel in bas relief depicting the Treaty with Massasoit. In her hands she holds the Decalogue and the Scroll of Revelation.

At the southeasti corner of the monument, Liberty, represented by a male figure clothed as a Centurian, sits crushing the chains of bondage under his heel, his sword in his lap. The bas relief at his feet illustrates the Signing of the Compact. These smaller sculptures show a marked stylistic dissimilarity as they are the work' of three different sculptors working independently'of one another. The remaining ornament consists of four recessed arched panels, which alternate o with the sculpture plinths and the stone tablets beneath them. The east panel is inscribed with the name of the Monument and an appropriate dedicatory senti- ment. The other three panels bear the names of the passengers of the Mayflower." The tablets under each panel were provided for visual balance in the design and to carry suitable inscriptions at some future date. They have remained blank.

16/ RECElVED AUG 8 1894 NATIONAL REGISTER 6 -

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD (Check One or More as Appropriate) - Pre-Columbian! 15th Century 16th Century 17th Century SPECIFIC (If Applicable and Known) 1889 AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Abor iginal - Education L Prehistoric Engineering Historic Industry Agriculture Invention Architecture Landscape Art Architecture Commerce Literature Communications Conservation Military Music XX 18th Century 19th Century - 20th Century - Political ] Religion/Phi- losophy - Science - Sculpture - Social/Human- itarian - Theater - Transportation Urban Planning Other (Specify) Che National Monument to the Forefathers is primarily significant as the work of Hammatt Billings, one of Boston's foremost 19th c. architects and designers.

The design is quite typical of that period and is representative of that strange mixture of classical and contemporary motifs used in Victorian monumental sculpture. The monument was commissioned by the Pilgrim Society, founded in 1820, whose Maysoo d'etre was the creation of a suitable memorial to the landing of the The Society held a competition for the proposed monument in 1855 and initially awarded the project to two artists from New York. However, Hammatt Billings approached the committee with his plan to raise the funds himself, thereby indemnifying the Society against all losses. The Society, impressed by his design and economics, signed a contract with him. In turn, he agreed to complete the monument in 12 years. The Civil War, however, inter vened, raising the costs and delaying work on the monument.

Billings organized a nation-wide fund-raising campaign, offering silver and bronze models of the monument to subscribers. In connection with the fund raising, he published The Illustrated Pilgrim Almanac_ (later The Illustrated Pilgrim Memorial) including articles written and illustrated by himself. Eventually, inflation caused Billings to propose halving the size of the monument, which the Pilgrim Society agreed to in 1874, shortly before Billings' death. The work was carried on by Joseph Billings, architect brother of Hammatt. According to Richard Stoddard, "In 1875 he commissioned the well-known sculptor, William Rimmer, to make a 9' plaster model of the figure of Faith. The sculp- tor's model, based on the Venus de Milo, was clad in draperies too thin for Joseph Billing's taste.

He turned Rimmer's work over to a little-known sculp= tor named Perry (probably John D.Perry) who thickened the drapery and altered the head. Funds for the subsidiary figures of Law, Morality, Education, Liberty, and for the sculptured panels on the face of the buttresses, were hard to find, and the monument was not completed until 1889." At one time considered somewhat of a Victorian folly, the monument remains one of the major works of Hammatt Billings and one of the major memorials to the Pilgrims. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES 1. Anderson,Marjorie, Information from several conversations. 2. Andrews,Wayne, Architecture in New England, Brattleboro,1973,p.116. 3. Stoddard,Richard, "Hammatt Billings, Artist and Architect", 01d-Time New England, vol.IXII, Jan-March 1972, pp.57-65. 0.

GEOGRAPHICAL DATA LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES LATITUDE AND LONGIT-IDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY DEFINING THE LENTER POINI OF A PHOPERTY OF LESS, THAN TEN ACRES CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGI TUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds NW 41° 57 36% 70 40 35" NE SE SW APPROXIMA TE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: less than one acre ILIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BQUNDARIES STATE: CODE COUNTY 61 5) CODE STATE: CODE COUNTY: STATE: CODE COUNTY: STATE: CODE COUNTY: RÉCEIVED 106 1874 NATIONAL REGISTER CODE CODE CODE FORMPREPARED BY NAME AND TITLE: Mindy Arbo,N.R.Editox, for Elizabeth Amadon,State Survey Direfto ORGANIZATION Massachusetts Historical Commission .". STREET AND NUMBER: 8/14/73 40 Beacon Street CITY OR TOWN: Boston 617-727-8470 12.

STATE LIAISON OFFICER CÉRTIFICATION STATE Massachusetts 02108 NATIONAL REGISTER VERIFICATION CODE 025 As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na- tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the c-iteria and procedures set y the National Park Service. significance of this nomination is: State X I hereby certify that this property is included in the Nationa1 Register. aRmarteca. Director, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation Name Mt.X.Dor lorable John F.X.Davoren fCretary of the Commonweateh T Chairman,Massachusetts Historical Commission Date 8/30p14 ATTEST: Date 7|24|74 Date Maclultun 7 Keeper of The National Registe 8.29:74 # U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1973-729-147/1442 3-l PROPERTNational Monument to the Fonefathotttt Mass.

WORKING NUMBER 11.14,73,3956 TECH REVIEW PHOTOS +/plan MAPS CONTROL REVIEW HISTORIAN OK Not suse it meets citeria 11.15 13 RL 2-5-7 ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN Is commemorative sculpture, does not meet criteria - Could they rewrite the nominatinn? JT Retmnfor rewrite of secitiljandl 5/29/14 ARCHEOLOGIST REVIEW UNIT CHIEF Important seulpture but proposed as commemeratie st objed.letum or rewuite.

5/29/16 Kcole 12/18/73 BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER National Register Write-up Federal Register entry Send-back Re-submit Entered 6.30.74 8-8-74 AUG 3 0 1974 INT: 1538-73 PROPERTY Mlaturial Mexumeat te the tarhat/ STATE Mas WORKING NUMBER 11.14.73.3456 TECH REVIEW PHOTOS L+ / plas MAPS 2nd Control Shet Plymouth CONTROL REVIEW 8,3 74 HISTORIAN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN Accest W.R luce 8/14/14 Accept tesaull 814/74 ARCHEOLOGIST REVIEW UNIT CHIEF Cole 8/23/74 BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER 1 Murt 8-29-24 National Register Write-up 10/2/14 Federal Register entry Oct. 4, 1974 Send-back _ Re-submit_ Entered AUG 3 0 1974 AI DEN STREET DOUGLASS CAVaGOLS Brught of tranees I: Sonylads Grok 776.7olis 565. Buugln tu I Drylat June 5 1900 POMN MAY HER Tume 6.1799.Dork 776 7olis t6s PAnTn Sold to maw Bok85H.toli. MONUMENT GROUNDS WITHIN RED LINES.

STANDISH AVENUE EXHIBIT 8 PLAN MONUMENT GROUNDS JUNE 71819 REFERENCES Hatkamay , %o Pilgsim Souet, Bonk tos Sale 229 Soddand t Billing $30 silkings t Ölgrem soriit Davis to Dilpreni Souit, 215 219 Wheelen to Ollgrem sociit 332 297 Pilgrini Socet, t Parkan "thayhe 733 Daugean E Olipei socit, . Silprim doeiit, te Pnary in. Aryaa FORM 10-301 A (6/72) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM (Type all entries - attach to or en close with photograph) AND/OR HISTORIC 1. NAME COMMON National Monument to the Forefathers 2. LOCATION STATE Massachusetts STREET AND NUMBER Allerton Street 3. PHOTO REFERENCE PHOTO CREDIT NUMERIC CODE (Assigned by NPS) AUG 3 0 1974 COUNTY Plymouth TOWN Plymouth DATE 1973 (?) 4. IDENTIFICATION DESCRIBE VIEW, DIRECTION, ETC.

Plan of the Monument grounds * 1 N z NEGATIVE FILED AT Pilgrim Hall 151 LL6) 211131 RECÊIVED NOV 1 4 1973 NATIONAL REGIST E GPO 932-009 PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER FORM 10-301 A (6/72) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM (Type all entries - attach to or en close with photograph) AND/OR HISTORIC 1. NAME COMMON National Monument to the Forefathers 2. LOCATION STATE Massachusetts STREET AND NUMBER COUNTY Plymouth Allerton Street 3. PHOTO REFERENCE PHOTO CREDIT DATE Studio One 5/15/73 4. IDENTIFICATION DESCRIBE VIEW, DIRECTION, ETC. National Monument to the Forefathers, east elevation 2 ol 2 NUMERIC CODE (Assigned by NPS) AUG 3 0 1974 TOWN Plymouth NEGATIVE FILED AT Studio One 16 RECEIVED NOV 1 4 1973 NATIONAL REGISTE PryimTol GPO 932-009 PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER LEVP UBENTATD John F. X.

Davoron Secretary of the Commonrvealth The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Secretary Massachuselts Historical Commission 40 Beacon Stree Boston, Massachusetts 02108 727-8470 August 1,1974 RECEVED to National Register of Historic Places National Park Service 18th and C Streets Washington ,D.C. 20240 NATTIONAL REGISTER ENTIHITON Attention: Charles Herrington,Chief of Register 096889 CERTIFIED MAIL Dear Charles: Enclosed are two National Register forms for the following properties: 1. National Monument to the Forefathers, 2. Old Bay Road Plymouth, Plymouth County -RESUBMISSION Norton, Bristol County These have been declared eligible for submission by the Massachusetts Histori- cal Commission, the State Review Board, and have been signed by Secretary of the Commonwealth John F.X.Davoren, Chairman of the Massachusetts Historical Commission and designated the State Liason Officer.

Please let us know if any other information is needed. Sincerely, Belly Elizabeth Amadon State Survey Director Massachusetts Historical Commission ERA/ma enclosures ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE MASSACHUSETTS Date Entered AUG 30 19/4 Name Location National Monument to the Forefathers Plymouth Plymouth County Also Notified Hon. Edward M. Kennedy Hon. Edward W. Brooke Hon. Gerry B. Studds Regioaal Director, North Atlantie Region PR State Historie Preservation Officer Hon. John F. X. Davoren Secretary of the Conmonwealth Chairman, Massachusetts Historical Conmission 40 Beacon Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 MMott/row 8/30/74