Central Park In Bronze

Location: 72nd Street, east side

Artist/Designer: John Quincy Adams Ward, sculptor; Richard Morris Hunt, architect

Composition and Materials: Bronze, Quincy granite

Installation: 1885

Funding: New England Society of New York City

 

The New England Society of New York City commissioned The Pilgrim statue to celebrate their 75th anniversary. They chose John Quincy Adams Ward as the sculptor. He created the colonist in classic early attire, wearing a tall, brimmed hat and a long, draped jacket adorned with a square belt buckle. The Pilgrim stands with one foot forward, holding a flintlock musket against the ground, his hand over the muzzle. The base of the statue contains four bas-reliefs depicting important symbols of the Pilgrims, who settled in the Massachusetts Bay area in 1620 in search of religious freedom.

 

The statue stands atop what is now known as Pilgrim Hill. This is one of the prettiest places in Central Park in the spring, when the pink cherry blossoms are in bloom. In the winter, this location is an active place for children sledding. The Pilgrim keeps watch over them all.