Pilgrim Monument

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the monument in Plymouth, Massachusetts formerly known as the Pilgrim Monument[1] see National Monument to the Forefathers

View of the Pilgrim Monument with Mayflower Compact bas-relief below as seen from Bradford Street.
View of the Pilgrim Monument with Mayflower Compact bas-relief below as seen from Bradford Street.

The Pilgrim Monument of Provincetown, Massachusetts was built between 1907 and 1910 to commemorate the first landfall of the Pilgrims in 1620 and the signing in Provincetown Harbor of the Mayflower Compact.

It was designed by Willard T. Sears after the Torre del Mangia in Siena, Italy, designed by Arguolo and Agostino in 1309. The design was controversial because of its lack of any obvious relevance to the Pilgrim Fathers. One Boston architect derided it, saying "If all they want is an architectural curiosity, then why not select the Leaning Tower of Pisa and be done with it?"[2] It was also noted that Boston itself already had a copy of the same tower; Boston's tower, made of brick like the Italian original, was built in 1892 by Edmund March Wheelwright, is 156 feet tall, was originally designed as part of the central fire station and used as a fire lookout, and is now home to the Pine Street Inn.[3] However, the Boston Globe noted that "The people of Provincetown are not at all enthusiastic about the design, but are glad enough to get almost any sort of monument," and quoted "an old sea captain" as saying

I don't sympathize with all the kicking about the monument. It's good enough, and it has this in its favor, that it resembles many lighthouse on the cost of Portugal and on Portuguese Islands, and Provincetown, you know, is full of Portuguese.[4]

This 252-foot tall campanile is the tallest all-granite structure in the United States and is part of the Provincetown historic district. Modern residents regard it as an "architectural phallus".


The Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown,MA is a commemoration to the Pilgrims first landfall in the New World as well as the signing of the Mayflower Compact. The Pilgrims spent five weeks exploring Cape Cod before they sailed to Plymouth,MA. After spending weeks at sea, the pilgrims would not set foot on land until writing and signing the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact is the first instance of a democratic society in the New World. In 1907 the cornerstone was laid by President Roosevelt, and so began the building of the 252 foot all granite tower. The Monument's design was the result of a contest in which Willard T. Sears won. Sears designed the Monument after the Torre del Mangia in Siena, Italy by Arguolo and Agostino in 1309.

Visitors from nearly every state and country have come to climb the monument, and view the Provincetown Museum at its base. Not only does the monument commemorate the pilgrims but its museum pays tribute to provincetowns vibrant maritime past. Provincetown residents love the monument and many contribute to its annual lighting in November.

[edit] External links

The Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum

[edit] References

  1. ^ Toomey, Daniel P. (1892). Massachusetts of To-day. Columbia publishing company, 2. 
  2. ^ "Call It Copy of Torre Del Manga," The Boston Daily Globe, January 27, 1907, p. 7
  3. ^ Ralli, Tania (2005), "And New A Word From Our Shelter: Ads Atop Pine Street Inn Help Pay To Restore It, But Some Ask Where It Will End, The Boston Globe, October 9, 2005, p. 1
  4. ^ "Most Imposing Monument On The Atlantic Coast," The Boston Globe, August 18, 1907, p. SM12
 This article about a building or structure in Massachusetts is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.