Bermuda: Sessions House (House of Assembly) - Hamilton, Bermuda

Sessions House (House of Assembly)

Hamilton, Bermuda

N 32° 17.635 W 064° 46.892

Short Description: 

Sessions House is the Bermuda Parliament Building. It is located between Parliament, Church, Court and Reid Streets in Hamilton, Bermuda

Long Description:

The Bermuda Parliament is the third oldest in the world and the oldest in the western hemisphere. It meets at the upper floor of the Sessions House which it shares with the Supreme Court which occupies the ground floor. These are the two most important administrative bodies in Bermuda. There are 35 elected members of the parliament.

In 1815 capital of Bermuda was moved from St. George to Hamilton. Construction soon began on the Sessions House, an Italianate style building, and was completed in 1817. Originally, it was a smaller two-story building. It has since been substantially expanded. To commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria the red terra-cotta clock tower and Florentine facade were added. Construction was completed 1893. The building is built on the highest hill within the City of Hamilton and its clock tower dominates the skyline.

The Jubilee Clock has four illuminated faces, each seven feet in diameter. The hands are made of of copper and brass. A 1750 pound bell is struck on the hour with a 35 lb iron hammer. A six foot, 90 lb pendulum keeps time.

Bermuda: Figurative Sculpture - Against Da Tide - Hamilton, Bermuda

Against Da Tide

Hamilton, Bermuda

N 32° 17.492 W 064° 47.202

Short Description: 

The sculpture "Against Da Tide" is located in front of the HSBC bank building on Front Street in Hamilton,

Long Description:

“Against Da Tide” was created by Bermudian sculptor Bill Mussey Ming and sponsored by HSBC (Bermuda). The 6' long by 4' high bronze sculpture depicts six men sitting in a small boat. One man is facing the others while calling out a cadence in a small megaphone. The other five are pulling on a rope. The last figure is a fantasy figure that is also part of the boat. The boat is raised high in the water atop of two waves. The sculpture rests on an oval bronze plinth which is placed on a circular 2' high concrete table.

A bronze plaque contains a poem, in dialect, by the artist that provided the meaning of the sculpture:

Against Da Tide

On dis boat of optimism/hope
Sit a crew linked by a rope
With courage n pride
'gainst da tide dey ride
...Holding steady n pullin together
Makin it thru stormy weather
Even dis ill wind
Couldn't alter their course
Because dis vessel's for u-u-n/yours
For 'gainst da tide
Is a metaphor
for survival

Bill Mussey Ming

The rest of the plaque gives information about the sculpture:

This Sculpture

"Against Da Tide"

donated 

to the 

City of Hamilton

29 March 2011

by

HSBC Bank Bermuda

Limited

HSBC

Bermuda: Mark Twain - Hamilton, Bermuda

Mark Twain

Hamilton, Bermuda

N 32° 17.532 W 064° 47.263

Short Description: 

A life-size bronze statue of author and frequent Bermuda visitor Mark Twain is located outside the XL office building on Bermudiana Road in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Long Description:

Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens who was born in Florida, MO on November 30, 1835. Early in life his family moved to Hannibal, MO on the Mississippi River. His experiences with the people of the river inspired his most famous characters and novels - Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. When he was 38 years old he moved to Connecticut and built a home in Hartford, CT. While a Hartford resident he wrote many of his most famous novels, including: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), The Prince and the Pauper (1881), Life on the Mississippi (1883), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889).

“You go to heaven if you want to, I’d rather stay right here in Bermuda” - Mark Twain

Between 1867 and his death in 1910, Twain visited Bermuda numerous times. He referred the the climate, land, and the people as "that happy little paradise.” For the last three years of his life Bermuda was his second home. He stayed at the Princess Hotel and the private residence “Bay House” just off Pitts Bay Road. Today the site of of his home off Pitts Bay Road is now a huge office complex built by XL, the global insurance company.

Outside the Bermudiana Road entrance to the XL building on is a life-size bronze statue of Mark Twain. The bushy haired, mustached Twain is dressed in characteristic clothing. He is wearing a suit, vest and bow tie. He is sitting on a wooden bench with his legs crossed, right over left. His right arm is resting on the back of the bench while he holds his ever present pipe in his left hand.

Bermuda: Anchor Fountain - Royal Naval Dockyard, Sandys Parish, Bermuda

Anchor Fountain

Royal Naval Dockyard

Sandys Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 19.506 W 064° 50.086

Short Description: 

The Anchor Fountain is located between the clock towers of the Naval Dockyard Building which is now the Clock Tower Mall at the west end of Bermuda in Sandys Parish.

Long Description:

Three huge anchors are painted black and arranged in a triangular pyramid. A hemisphere spray of water is emitted from the center of the anchors and flows through channels between the anchors to a circular basin below.

The oval plaque on the mall side of the fountain is inscribed:

MINISTRY OF WORKS

0069

ENGINEERING AND HOUSING

The Anchor Fountain is the focal point of the area and is a magnet for many cruise ship passengers to have their photograph taken upon disembarking in Kings Wharf.

Bermuda: The Moongate Legend - Royal Naval Dockyard, Sandys Parish, Bermuda

Moongate Legend

Royal Naval Dockyard - Sandys Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 19.607 W 064° 49.938

Short Description: 

A Moongate is conveniently located between the cruise ship docks and the Royal Naval Dockyard buildings. Kiss and/or make a wish.

Long Description:

Moongate arches are a fascinating feature of Bermuda. They can be found in several locations in the Bermuda archipelago. These nearly circular arches are composed of limestone. Each has a keystone at it's apex.

An interesting legend is associated with these structures. According to a nearby sign:

MOONGATE

Make a Wish

Couples who kiss under our moongates,

the wedding band-shaped arches found

throughout the island - will, according 

to local legend, be assured a long and

happy life together. Walk through one of

our lovely limestone archways, make a

wish and look forward to a joyful and

prosperous future.

Bermuda: Admiral Sir George Somers - St. George, Bermuda

Admiral Sir George Somers

St. George, Bermuda

N 32° 22.824 W 064° 40.616

Short Description: 

A statue of the founder of the Bermuda Colony, Admiral Sir George Somers, is located on the west end of Ordinance Island in the Town of St. George, Bermuda.

Long Description:

George Somers was born in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England in 1554. He joined the Royal Navy and participated in the Anglo-Spanish War of 1595. He later commanded several English ships, including HMS Vanguard, HMS Swiftsure, and HMS Warspite. In 1603 he was kighted for his service to the crown.

In 1609, Somers was appointed as Admiral of the Virginia Company's Third Supply relief fleet and was sent to the Jamestown colony in present day Virginia. On June 2, 1609, he sailed from Plymouth, England on the Sea Venture, the flagship of the seven-ship fleet. The ships encounter a storm on July 25th and were separated. The Sea Venture began to leak rapidly. On July 28th he spotted land, what is now Bermuda. He had to purposely drive his ship on a reef to prevent it from sinking. All of the 150 people on board were able to safely reach shore.

While ashore, the crew and passengers built a church and houses. This was the beginning of the settlement of Bermuda colony. Admiral Somers oversaw the construction of two small ships, the Deliverance and the Patience, from local timber and the wreakage of the Sea venture. They then and sailed to the original destination, the Jamestown Colony, to deliver much needed supplies. Thus enabling the survival of the colony.

A 1.5 times life-size bronze statue of Admiral Sir George Somers was created by Desmond Fountain and unveiled by Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret in 1984 to the celebrate the 375th anniversary of the settlement of Bermuda. Admiral Somers is wearing a period clothing: a button down tunic with scalloped cuffs, a large cape, puffy pants cinched at the knee, leather leggings, and shoes with bows. He strikes a dramatic pose by looking up with with his hands held high. His cape is blowing in the wind. He stands on a circular plinth which is inscribed:

Sir George Somers descried land on July 28, 1609

A newer plaque installed in the plaza in front of the statue is inscribed:

SIR GEORGE SOMERS 

{Tuesday April 24th, 1554 - Friday November 9th, 1610}

This plaque symbolizes our historic connections:

LYME REGIS, Dorset, England - ST. GEORGE'S, Bermuda - JAMESTOWN, Virginia, U.S.A.

Unveiled by Sally Holman, Mayor of Lyme Regis, as part of the 400th Anniversary observance of this "Towne Ancient & Loyal"

TUESDAY, APRIL 24TH, 2012 

Women's Rights: Elizabeth Cady Stanton - Seneca Falls, NY

Women's Rights

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Seneca Falls, NY

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

N 42° 54.637 W 076° 48.010

Short Description: 

A statue of Elizabeth Cady Stanton is located on the first floor of the Women's Rights National Historic Park at 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Long Description:

Elizabeth Cady was born in Johnstown, New York on November 12, 1815. After graduating high school she was barred from enrolling in all male colleges, despite a brilliant academic record. She enrolled in Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York. Elizabeth met Henry Brewster Stanton through their early involvement in the temperance and the abolition movements. They married in 1840 and had seven children.

In 1848 she organized a gathering at the home of Richard Hunt to gathering at the Richard P. Hunt in Waterloo, NY to organized the first Woman's Rights Convention to be held in Seneca Falls on July 19-20, 1848. The organizers included: Martha Coffin Wright, Mary Ann M'Clintock, Lucretia Mott and Jane Hunt. Elizabeth co-authored the Declaration of Sentiments issued by the convention that introduced the demand for votes for women into the debate.

In May 1851, Amelia Bloomer introduced Stanton to Susan B. Anthony on a chance meeting on the streets of Seneca Falls. They became good friends and worked together to advance the cause of women's rights. Stanton would write articles on divorce, property rights, and temperance and the adopted the Bloomer style of dress. Soon Stanton would write speeches and Anthony would deliver them.

In the early 1860s with the Civil War looming the women's rights movement suspended annual conventions. In 1863, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony created the Women's Loyal National League, gathering 400,000 signatures on a petition to bring about immediate passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to end slavery in the United States.

After the war the American Equal Rights Association was formed to gain universal suffrage. Elizabeth Cady Stanton's was the leader of this movement. Stanton and Anthony then formed the National American Woman Suffrage Association and between 1869 and 1890 they worked at the national level to gain the voting right for all citizens. They then turned their attention to the state level with some success as Colorado, Utah, and Idaho granted women the vote between 1894 and 1896. Stanton died of heart failure at her home in New York City on October 26, 1902.

Life size bronze statues of Elizabeth Cady Stanton was created by Lloyd Lillie. She stand at ground level on the left side of the front row along with other members of the First Wave, a sculptural grouping of nineteen women's rights activists. She is dressed in period clothing with a long dress underneath a short vest-like jacket and wears a small bonnet in her hair. She is holding a folder in her left hand and an umbrella in her right hand.

Visitor Center is open Wednesday-Sunday from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day). All public programs, tours, exhibits, and film are free to the public.