Bronze Plaque of Commodore John Barry Stolen from Boston Common on April 5, 1975

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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 granite plaque to replace the bronze. It remains on Boston Common today. 

In February 1980, the Barry plaque just as mysteriously re-appeared, when the contrite thieves dropped the bronze piece off at the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) Hall in Watertown, along with three other pieces of stolen art.   Watertown detective Richard O’Connell said the thieves had offered to turn in the Barry plaque if they were not prosecuted.  O'Connell speculated, "I would say it was someone who was a teenager a few years ago who had done this as a prank." 

Barry’s plaque ended up in South Boston, where officials stored it for safe-keeping at James M. Curley L Street Bathhouse, a community center Curley had opened as mayor in 1931.  Then on Saturday, September 12, 1981, it was transferred from the Boston Arts Commission to the National Parks Service for permanent display at the Charlestown Navy Yard, were it was put into storage. 


Original Bronze Plaque Discovered in Navy Yard Warehouse, July 2024

In 2024, the bronze was discovered sitting in a warehouse in the Navy Yard, and plans are underway to restore it to a public place.  Read about efforts to restore the Barry plaque. 

Commodore John Barry's heroics have come to light again as part of the America 250 celebrations taking place in 2026.  

Revolutionary Irish Trail, March 2026

Boston's new Revolutionary Irish Trail includes the original site of the Barry plaque on Boston Common, and points to a hopeful restoration of the bronze plaque in the Charlestown Navy Yard sometime soon. 



Born in County Wexford in Ireland, John Barry (1745-1803) emigrated to the American Colonies as a teenager, settling in Philadelphia, PA.  When the American Revolution broke out in 1775, Barry immediately offered his service to General George Washington, who commissioned Barry to command Brig Lexington, the first ship to fly the American flag and named for the first battle of the war in Lexington, Massachusetts. In April, 1776, Lexington captured the British ship Edward, marking the first American naval victory in the American Revolution. From there Barry participated in numerous battles throughout the war, including land battles in Trenton and Princeton.   

In December 1781, Barry safely transported Lafayette back to France aboard the Alliance, built in Amesbury, Massachusetts, where the Frenchman joined emissaries Ben Franklin, John Laurens, John Adams and John Jay to secure continued French support.

After the Revolutionary War ended, Washington enlisted Barry to help organize the U.S. Navy, forever earning Barry the moniker as Father of the American Navy.

Research, Photos + Text, Michael Quinlin


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