In 1940, Paul Revere Statue Was Unveiled in Boston along with Bronze Plaques of North End Heroes

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Paul Revere Statue, courtesy of Digital Commonwealth

On September 22, 1940, the bronze statue of Paul Revere was unveiled at the Paul Revere Mall on Hanover Street in Boston's North End. A number of Revere's ancestors and descendants were present at the unveiling, along with many North Enders who returned to their neighborhood for the occasion. Some 10,000 people attended.

Orator and Boston City Councillor Henry L. Shattuck gave a stirring patriotic tribute on the eve of World War II, telling the audience, "It is well we should honor and celebrate the achievements of Paul Revere and of our other heroes. It is just and fitting that we should sing their praises and take pride in their deeds. But that is not enough. These patriots did not live for their country and die for their country in order that we might live softly. They looked to us, their descendants, to pick up and carry on the of liberty."


Thomas Cass Bronze Plaque, courtesy of IrishBoston.org 

In addition to the Paul Revere Statue, thirteen tablets of bronze were also unveiled,  commemorating some of the North End's most important residents.  Among them was a plaque to North End resident and Irish immigrant Thomas Cass, the valiant leader of the Massachusetts 9th Irish Regiment who was mortally wounded during the American Civil  War.

Boston Mayor Maurice Tobin eulogized Revere and praised the North Enders who had "done so much that was both patriotic and constructive in shaping and helping found the great republic of today Their work is about the only thing that has endured in this present world of war and anarchy. What they suffered and endured and what they did, should be our inspiration today."


Cyrus Dallin working on the Paul Revere model. courtesy of Digital Commonwealth

At the center of the proceedings was 79 year old sculptor Cyrus Dallin (1861-1944) who waited over five decades for the statue to finally come to fruition. Dallin was 23 years old when he was originally commissioned to create the statue by Mayor Hugh O'Brien. For various reasons, the statue was never made until Mayor Maurice Tobin moved the project forward by enlisting the George Robert White Fund to underwrite the $27,500 in costs. 

White Fund Manager for the Trustees Joseph F. O'Connell, used his time at the podium to introduce the sculptor to great applause, and then sang the praises of White, considered one of Boston's most generous philantropists. 


George Robert White

"George Robert White was the son of an Irish exile, John Pierce White, who came to this country to enjoy life in a land where liberty and freedom permitted him to pursue the natural expression of life's purpose," O'Connell said. "He requited the opportunity he prized so much by enlisting in the 26th Massachusetts Regiment of which he became a lieutenant in the Union Army in the Civil War. He married another Irish exile, Bridget Lecky, at New Bedford, and from this union was born on July 18, 1847."

O'Connell called White "a benefactor to his fellow men, both in public service and private philanthropy. His was a fine type of American citizenship. Modest and almost retiring in his manner of living, nevertheless, he appreciated this city and wanted her to continue in a fitting way the proud possession she had so early attained."









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