A photograph of the 1908 unveiling ceremony in Fort Greene Park.
The squalid conditions aboard the HMS Jersey
The Prison Ship Jersey
The original Monument in Vinegar Hill.
An early postcard of the initial monument and crypt in Fort Greene Park.
A period postcard of the 1908 monument.
OUR MISSION:

n November 14, 1908, President-elect William Howard Taft was joined by 30,000 persons in pouring rain for the dedication of the great American architect Stanford White’s Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument. This epic Doric column is a memorial to the Prisoners of War who perished in our country’s struggle for independence.

The remains of 11,500 Americans and volunteers from as many as fifty-seven countries lie in a crypt beneath the Monument. Patriots and volunteers from other nations flocked to our shores to fight for the principles of liberty, justice and equality expressed in our Declaration of Independence. Almost four times as many POWs died on prison ships anchored in Wallabout as did soldiers who fell in battle. Today most Americans have no knowledge of the sacrifice of those martyrs, whose remains are now entombed at the base of the Monument. At the 2006 ceremony marking the restoration of the Fort Greene Park Visitor's Center, the eminent historian David McCullough called the Prison Ships Marytyrs Monument (and Fort Greene Park) "one of the three most sacred Revolutionary War sites in the country." From the moment of their sacrifice the custody of these sacred remains has been assumed by the people of Brooklyn. This legacy, deeply felt in the neighboring communities of Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Wallabout, led to the establishment of the Fort Greene Park Conservancy [FGPC], a community based all-volunteer Brooklyn 501 (c) 3 organization. The FGPC is dedicated to educating the community about the ideals for which the Martyrs sacrificed their lives, and its relevance to contemporary life

Many Americans feel that the principles for which the martyrs died are very much in peril today. The Fort Greene Park Conservancy believes that the Centennial of the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument provides the perfect occasion to recall those ideals and to re-commit to them.

We contemplate a series of events commemorating the Centennial commencing with educational programs celebrating the diversity of the Martyrs and the importance of the principles of liberty, justice and equality. The celebration will culminate with a weekend of activities which will include a performance of a newly-commissioned work for orchestra and chorus by world renown composer and Brooklyn native, Alvin Singleton; with text by celebrated poet, Patricia Hampl; a parade of flags from the countries whose nationals were martyred, presented by boy and girl scout troupes of Brooklyn; a procession of ships in Wallabout Bay; an encampment of Revolutionary War Re-enactors; a docent led Family Roots Day; a spectacular fireworks display and an address by the President-elect of the United States!

Very importantly we are acknowledging and honoring the sacrifice of the foreign volunteers in the Revolutionary War by inviting representatives from those countries to participate in the commemoration. We anticipate that this will be an international event as it was during our nation’s Bicentennial when King Juan Carlos of Spain, as one of the first acts of his reign, traveled to Fort Greene Park to honor the one hundred twenty three Spanish Martyrs who died on the prison ships.

he Fort Greene Park Conservancy respectfully requests support for the 2008 commemoration of the Centennial of the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, New York.

We hope that we can count on your financial support to help the FGPC make this Centennial Celebration a local, national and international tribute to the principles for which 11,500 Martyrs gave their lives.

All contents © 2008 Abby Weissman
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