Bronze Plaque of Commodore John Barry Stolen from Boston Common on April 5, 1975
Granite Replacement Plaque on Boston Common in 1976 On April 5, 1975, a beloved bronze plaque to Revolutionary War naval hero Commodore John Barry was ripped from its foundation on Boston Common, and disappeared into the night. It had been erected by Boston Mayor James Michael Curley, U.S. Navy officials and Boston Irish leaders on October 16, 1949, in tribute to the Irish-American war hero. The next day, Boston police speculated that thieves were stealing historical items for resale leading up to the bicentennial. "Patrolman John McLaughlin of the Government Center station told The Boston Globe that "the thieves must have used heavy tools to pry it off the granite stone on which it was mounted." John Ruck of the Boston Parks Department later speculated that thieves were melting down the bronze to resell as valuable metal on the black market. City officials rushed to replace the stolen plaque and in 1976 the Henderson Foundation funded a facsimile grani...