Nathan Hale Monument, Coventry, CT - a photo on Flickriver

            251/365 -Around the house - Day 251
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Nathan Hale is honored in his hometown of Coventry, Connecticut with a large monument in a cemetery that also bears his name.

This is actually a cenotaph since the actual burial site of Nathan Hale is unknown. (A cenotaph is a memorial or tombstone placed over an empty grave when the person is actually buried at another location.) Nathan Hale was born June 6, 1755 in Coventry, Connecticut. In 1773, at the age of 18, Hale graduated from Yale College and began a career of teaching. When the Revolutionary War broke out, he joined the 7th Connecticut Regiment as a first lieutenant. When General George Washington needed someone to go behind the British lines to act as a spy and report on enemy troop positions and movements, it was Hale who volunteered on September 8, 1776 for the dangerous mission. He was discovered by the British on September 21 with incriminating evidence on his person and was hung the following day as a spy. It is said that his final words at the time of his execution were: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." He was 21 years old.

The 1846 monument, near the entrance to Nathan Hale Cemetery on Lake Street, is a 45-foot-tall (14 m) granite obelisk with Egyptian-themed decorative elements. A dedication on the monument’s east face reads, “Captain Nathan Hale, 1776.” The north face has an inscription reading, “Born at Coventry, June 6, 1755.” The west face displays the famous quotation cited as Hale’s final words: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” The south face reads, “Died at New York, Sept. 22, 1776.”

Made out of 125 tons of hewn Quincy granite, it was designed by Connecticut architect Henry Austin and completed by Solomon Willard, architect for the Bunker Hill Monument. It was dedicated on September 19, 1846, following an effort spanning many years by the townspeople of Coventry to raise the entire cost of $4,033. 93. The monument was erected because Nathan Hale was buried in an unmarked grave, somewhere on Manhattan Island. 

In 1837 the Hale Monument Association was established by the men and women of Coventry and throughout New England, who were determined that the martyred patriot should have a memorial fitting the greatness of his sacrifice. Many attempts were made to have the United States Government contribute to the cost of the monument. All requests were refused. The State of Connecticut made several contributions, totaling $1,250.00 by 1846, that made it possible to complete the construction. The Monument is the property of the State of Connecticut, the Town of Coventry having conveyed it to the state in 1894.

The monument was one of the first large-scale monuments in the United States to commemorate an individual or event, preceding the Bunker Hill Monument (completed 1846) and the Washington Monument (completed 1885). Monuments and memorials of this type were not built in significant numbers until after the American Civil War.

Taken in: United States / Connecticut / Coventry / South Coventry (show map)

Taken on: September 8, 2021

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Camera:	samsung SM-G973U
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