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Historic Monument Built to Honor the Pilgrim’s Voyage
Provincetown Structure Built 1907-1910
Many Americans, including those right here in New England, may think of Plymouth Rock as the original landing point when the Pilgrims came from Europe to the “New World.” However, historians agree that the Mayflower with its very tired 102 passengers and 30-member crew, actually dropped anchor and created the first footprints in America’s sand at Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod, in November of 1620. Departing from Plymouth, England on August 15, 1620, the 67-day journey covering 3,000 miles was a grueling trip. Captain Christopher Jones anchored the 90-foot Mayflower in Provincetown for five weeks before setting sail again, this time a short sail across Cape Cod Bay, for what would soon become the Town of Plymouth, Massachusetts and home to its famous rock.
Some 270+ years later, in 1892, a group of Cape Cod residents came together to form the Cape Cod Pilgrim’s Memorial Association (CCPMA). Their idea was to build a granite monument to honor and memorialize the Pilgrim’s first landing in Provincetown. The site chosen was located very close to the harbor and known as High Pole Hill. The 85-foot hill was very steep, comprised mostly of sand, and with a crest about 100 feet above sea level.
By 1907 the CCPMA and their Architect, Willard Sears, had completed the design of the monument, which would be patterned after a famous Italian bell tower. The group had raised in excess of $90,000, including $40,000 from the federal government, to cover estimated construction costs. The Aberthaw Construction Company of Boston was chosen to construct the foundation. Work on the foundation began on June 20, 1907. There was no formal ceremony to mark the beginning of the work. The foundation was a 60 foot x 60 foot x 8 foot deep mass reinforced concrete pour with perimeter walls extending 5 feet above the ground. The cost of the foundation was not recorded, but work was completed in six weeks. On August 20, 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt and his entire family, escorted by a small armada of naval ships, sailed from Roosevelt’s summer home on Long Island to Provincetown Harbor, on their private yacht, to assist in laying the cornerstone for the (soon-to-be-built) monument. Politicians and dignitaries from all over Massachusetts attended the elaborate ceremony and later that evening the Town continued on page 37
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Historic Monument continued from page 35 hosted a dinner for 500 people at the Town Hall, where speeches continued into the night.
In the Spring of 1908 bids were received for a granite tower that would extend some 252 feet off the newly built foundation. It would start at 60 feet square on the bottom and gradually reduce to 28 feet square at the top where a castle-like bell tower would be constructed. Granite stairs inside the structure would allow visitors to reach the bell tower, providing panoramic views of Provincetown Harbor and the surrounding area. The lowest bidder for the work was the firm of Maguire & O’Heron from Milton, Massachusetts. They bid $73,865 dollars to build the monument on the already prepared foundation. Liquidated damages were set at $5/day. Specifications required granite stones to be secured from a quarry located in Stonington, Maine. The Army Corps of Engineers would oversee the construction.
Construction of the Pilgrim Monument began on June 18, 1908. To assist with getting the granite stones and mortar to the top of the hill, the contractor devised a temporary rail system where heavy carts were winched up the 85-foot hill along a set of tracks. (Coincidentally – this is at the same location as the new inclined elevator being built in 2021). The continued on page 39
1908 - Pilgrim Monument under construction
1908 - Temporary Rail off Bradford Street to haul mortar and stones up High Pole Hill
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stone work was slow and tedious but after two years of challenging construction the tower was completed with no serious injuries to any workmen. There was, however, a casualty to an elderly Provincetown resident in an unusual accident. Mrs. Rosilla Bangs, 85, was struck and killed by a runaway rail cart that jumped the rails and travelled out of control across Bradford Street.
On August 5, 1910, President William Howard Taft led a dedication ceremony at the monument that surpassed the Roosevelt event three years earlier. In addition to politicians at every level, there were over 3,000 citizens that came via ships and via railway from Boston to the train station located at the foot of High Pole Hill. The U.S. Navy’s Atlantic fleet even sailed into the Provincetown Harbor. The Pilgrim Monument was a proud marvel. It would house a historical museum at it’s base and be visited by mil1910 - Pilgrim Monument completed on High Pole Hill, Provincetown lions over the next 100 plus years. The government in the United States. Sitting 350 feet above sea levretained rights to the tower during wartime and it was el, the bell tower windows offer outstanding views of used as a lookout tower in World Wars I and II. The the Provincetown area and the Atlantic Ocean. The government did not relinquish full control over the heart-healthy walk to the top requires 116 steps and tower to the CCPMA until 1959. 60 short ramps and it will take you about 10 minutes
At a height of 252 feet 7 inches the Pilgrim Monu- to get to the top at a leisurely pace. Information on ment is 30 feet taller than the Bunker Hill Monument hours of operation for the Pilgrim Monument and MuBurke Lubricants half-page ad 7-31-20.qxp_Dennis K Burke Inc 8/2/20 7:45 PM Page 1and remains today as the tallest all-granite structure seum can be obtained at 508-487-1310. n
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