Statue of Historic Figure: Samuel Wilson, a.k.a. Uncle Sam - Arlington, MA

Samuel Wilson

"Uncle Sam"

Arlington, MA

N 42° 24.952 W 071° 09.184

Short Description: 

A monument at the birthplace of Samuel Wilson honors the man that legend asserts is the source of the personification of the United States, Uncle Sam. It is located in Uncle Sam Plaza at Mystic Street north of Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington, MA.

Long Description:

A memorial to Samuel Wilson has two sculptures. An 8.67' high bronze statue depicts Wilson wearing a double breasted jacket and long-tailed coat. Wilson is carrying a top hat in the crook of his bent left arm. His right hand held downward with his open palm facing forward. The memorial was was commissioned by Fredrick A. Hauck of Cincinnati, OH and sculpted by Theodore Cotillo Barbarossa.

To Samuel Wilson's right is a relief sculpture with the familiar image of "Uncle Sam" wearing a top hat and tails. At the top is a butcher and a ship coming in to dock next to the word TROY In the middle of the relief is a man and woman standing behind a fence with the words MASON N-H. At the bottom is a soldier on horseback above the word MENOTOMY the former name for Arlington.

The monument has the following inscriptions:

Above the sculpture:

SAMUEL WILSON

1766-1854

Below the sculptures:

IN HONOR OF SAMUEL WILSON

A NATIVE SON

BORN NEAR THIS SITE

ON SEPTEMBER 13, 1766

HE BECAME

OUR NATIONAL SYMBOL

UNCLE SAM

A bronze plaque on the side of the monument has the left profile of Fredrick A. Hauck and is inscribed:

UNVEILED

SEPTEMBER

 11-1976

DEDICATED

APRIL-18, 1977

FREDERICK A. HAUCK

A GIFT TO THE TOWN OF ARLINGTON

MASS. AND THE PEOPLE OF THE 

UNITED STATES THROUGH THE GENEROUS

CONTRIBUTION OF FREDERICK A. HAUCK

OF CINCINNATI, OHIO

DESIGNER-SCULPTOR T.C. BARBAROSSA

BELMONT, MASS.

CAST BY ELEFTHERIOS KARKADOULIAS

CINCINNATI, OHIO

PROJECT COORDINATOR

THE ARLINGTON JAYCEES

BOARD OF SELECTMEN

ARTHUR D. SAUL, JR., CHAIRMAN

ROBERT B. WALSH

ANN MAHON POWERS

MARGARET H. SPENGLER

ROBERT H. MURRAY

TOWN MANAGER

DONALD R. MARQUIS

UNCLE SAM STATUE COMMITTEE

WILLIAM J. BECK

JACK R. DONALDSON

JAMES D. HOBBS

JAMES F. LAWSON, JR.

STEPHEN PEKICH

FREDERICK E. PITCHER

JOHN G. PERRY

WILLIAM J. SCAGLIONE

Samuel Wilson was born in Arlington, MA, known as Menotomy, on September 13, 1766. When he was young he moved with his family to Mason, NH. At age 15 he joined the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War where he was introduced to the meat packing trade. After the war he and his brother moved to Troy, NY where they started E & S Wilson, a meat packing business.

During the War of 1812 Elbert Anderson Jr. of New York City had the contract to supply meat to all US troops. He contracted with Sam Wilson's company to supply United States troops with barrels of meat. The barrels were labeled "E.A.-U.S." for Elbert Anderson - United States. The troops south of Troy that received the barrels were familiar with Samuel Wilson and interpreted the U.S to mean Uncle Sam, Wilson's nickname, and the legend was born. Samuel Wilson became the personification of the United States.

However, there is evidence that Uncle Sam was in use long before the War of 1812. Uncle Sam is mentioned in the 13th stanza of the original lyrics to the popular 1775 song "Yankee Doodle".

Old Uncle Sam come there to change
Some pancakes and some onions,
For 'lasses cakes, to carry home
To give his wife and young ones