Decorated Utility Box: Westfield Icons - Westfield, MA

Westfield Icons

Westfield, MA

N 42° 07.280 W 072° 44.948

Short Description: 

A utility box on Elm Street north of School Street is decorated with images of object of importance to Westfield.

Long Description:

Two artistically decorated utility boxes have recently been commissioned by the Westfield on Weekend organization. Both are on Elm Street. The southmost utility box is by the new Pioneer Valley Transportation Authority Olver Pavilion at the corner of Elm and Arnold Streets.

High School student Emily Colby chose to paint this utility box light green and used shades of green and yellow to represent familiar objects of Westfield.

The buggy whip in the center represents Westfield's historic past as the Whip City. During the 19th century, nearly all buggy whips in America were made in Westfield.

The covered bridge in Stanley Park.

A black squirrel, which are common in Westfield.

The bridge over the Westfield River

The freestanding Gothic clock installed as part of the Great River Project.

The pavilion in Park Square.

A book - representing Westfield's bookbinding industry

Ice skate - skating is a popular attraction at Amelia Park Ice Arena.

A ream of paper - represents Westfield's paper industry.

Bicycle - Columbia Bicycles are headquartered in Westfield

Bus - represents the new Pioneer Valley Transportation Authority Olver Transportation Center Pavilion.

Coffee Cup - represents the recently opened Circuit Coffee Shop located next to the utility box.

Roadside Attraction: Nipper the RCA Dog - Albany, NY

Nipper the RCA Dog

Albany, NY

N 42° 39.861 W 073° 44.571

Short Description: 

A huge statue of Nipper the RCA Dog is located near 988 Broadway on a warehouse building with the address 7 Tivoli Street, Albany, NY.

Long Description:

Nipper the RCA Dog is a 4 ton, 28' high steel and fiberglass statue of Nipper, the mascot of the former giant electronics company the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). It sits on top of a building that was once a warehouse for a distributor of RCA products.

Nipper was a 19th century English dog whose portrait was painted by the dog owner’s brother, Francis Barraud. The painting called “His Master’s Voice” depicted Nipper listening to a gramophone. It became an internationally known logo for RCA.

Medal of Honor: Brigadier General John Henry Patterson - Colonie, NY

Brigadier General John Henry Patterson

Colonie, NY

N 42° 42.339 W 073° 43.870

Short Description: 

The grave of Medal of Honor recipient Brigadier General John Henry Patterson is located in section 42, lot 13 of Albany Rural Cemetery in the the Menands section of Colonie, NY.

Long Description:

A monument with an ornate pointed arch top marks the grave of Brigadier General John Henry Patterson. The back of the monument contains a bronze medal of Honor Plaque. The front of the monument is has a relief image of the Medal of Honor and is inscribed:

JOHN HENRY PATTERSON 

BRIGADIER GENERAL

UNITED STATES ARMY

February 10, 1843

October 5, 1920

GRACE HALLAM LEARNED

HIS WIFE

October 31, 1859

October 29, 1924

The bronze Medal of Honor plaque is inscribed:

JOHN HENRY PATTERSON 

MEDAL OF HONOR 

BRIG GEN US ARMY

CIVIL WAR

FEB 10 1843 OCT 5 1920

John Henry Patterson was serving with the 11th U.S. Infantry. As a 1st Lieutenant, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on July 23, 1897 for his actions on May 5, 1864, during the Battle of the Wilderness. According to his Medal of Honor citation:

Under the heavy fire of the advancing enemy, picked up and carried several hundred yards to a place of safety a wounded officer of his regiment who was helpless and would otherwise have been burned in the forest.

Statue of Historic Figure: Samuel Wilson a.k.a. Uncle Sam - Troy, NY

Samuel Wilson

a.k.a. 

Uncle Sam

Troy, NY

N 42° 43.969 W 073° 41.405

Short Description: 

A large aluminum statue of Samuel Wilson a.k.a. Uncle Sam is located on River Street near the intersection of Fulton Street in Troy, NY.

Long Description: 

A 12' by 6 by 5.25' statue of hometown folk figure Samuel Wilson, a.k.a. Uncle Sam stands on top of a 2' high by 3' by 3' aluminum base with inscribed aluminum plaques on all four sides.

A standing figure of Samuel Wilson is wearing a buttoned vest, unbuttoned jacket, a billowing cape, and trousers that cover the tops of his shoes. He is holding a top hat in his left hand and has his right hand grasping his open jacket. A barren is on his right side and a pile of bricks on his left side. The monument was created by sculptor George Kratina and dedicated on October 18, 1980.

*UNCLE SAM*

WILSON

1766 1854

OF

TROY - NEW YORK

BORN IN ARLINGTON - MASS 

The plaque on the right side of the base is inscribed:

SAM WILSON - ONE OF

THE PRIME MOVERS FOR

INCORPORATION OF

TROY AS VILLAGE - 1794

CITY - 1816 

The plaque on the back of the base is inscribed:

TROY'S CITIZEN

AMERICA'S UNCLE

THE BIG THING IS NOT WHAT

HAPPENS TO US IN LIFE - BUT

WHAT WE DO ABOUT

WHAT HAPPENS TO US.

SAM WILSON 

The plaque on the left side of the base is inscribed:


                                                       U.S. OF AMERICA
                                                       N A
                                                       C M
                                                       L
                                                       E   *ORIGINATED DURING 
                                                                   WAR OF 1812*

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.

Grave of a Famous Person: Samuel Wilson a.k.a. Uncle Sam - Troy, NY

Samuel Wilson

a.k.a. 

Uncle Sam

Troy, NY

N 42° 45.750 W 073° 40.095

Short Description: 

A series of well places markers lead to the grave of Samuel Wilson, a.k.a. Uncle Sam, in Oakwood Cemetery at 186 Oakwood Avenue in Troy, NY.

Long Description:

The grave of Samuel Wilson, a.k.a. Uncle Sam, is marked by a rectangular, rough cut, granite monument with nearly identical bronze plaques on both side and a horizontal, marble, ground level marker, next to that of his wife Betsy Mann Wilson. The marble, ground level marker is inscribed:

SAMUEL WILSON 

Died July 31, 1854

Aged 88 Years. 

The bronze plaques on the front and back of the granite monument both have an image of an eagle with its wings spread and are inscribed:

U.S. 

IN LOVING MEMORY 

OF

"UNCLE SAM"

THE NAME

ORIGINATING WITH

SAMUEL WILSON

1766 - 1854

DURING THE WAR OF 1812

AND SINCE ADOPTED BY

THE UNITED STATES.

* * *

ERECTED 1921

BY HIS GRANDDAUGHTER

MARION WILSON (SHELDON)

and

U.S. 

IN LOVING MEMORY 

OF

"UNCLE SAM"

THE NAME

ORIGINATING WITH

SAMUEL WILSON

1766 - 1854

DURING THE WAR OF 1812

AND SINCE ADOPTED BY

THE UNITED STATES.

* * *

ERECTED 1931

BY HIS GRANDDAUGHTER

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.

Medal of Honor: Serg. Major James Edwin Cross - Colonie, NY

Medal of Honor Recipient
Serg. Major James Edwin Cross

Colonie, NY

N 42° 42.623 W 073° 43.956

Short Description: 

The grave of Medal of Honor recipient Serg. Major James Edwin Cross is located in section 30; lot 62 of Albany Rural Cemetery in the Menands section of Colonie, NY.

Long Description:

The grave of Serg. Major James Edwin Cross is marked by a pentagon shaped family headstone which contains a bronze Medal of Honor plaque and a horizontal granite marker which marks his grave. The family marker is inscribed CROSS in raised letters. The bronze plaque contains the image of the Medal of Honor and is inscribed:

JAMES EDWIN CROSS

MEDAL OF HONOR

SERG MAJ CO K 12 NY INF

CIVIL WAR

MAR 27 1840 JAN 6 1917

The horizontal granite grave marker is inscribed:

JAMES EDWIN CROSS

1840 - 1917

James Edwin Cross was a corporal serving with Company K, 12th New York Infantry on July 18, 1861 during the Battle of Blackburns Ford, VA. According to his citation issued on April 5, 1898

With a companion, refused to retreat when the part of the regiment to which he was attached was driven back in disorder, but remained upon the skirmish line for some time thereafter, firing upon the enemy.

Grave of a Famous Person: Jack Kerouac - Lowell, MA

Jack Kerouac

Lowell, MA

N 42° 36.954 W 071° 18.410

Short Description: 

The grave of American poet and novelist of the "Beat Generation" John "Jack" Kerouac is located in Edson Cemetery, 1375 Gorham Street, Lowell, MA.

Long Description:

The grave of poet and novelist Jack Kerouac is marked by a family headstone and an individual horizontal grave marker.

The horizontal grave marker is inscribed:

"TI JEAN"

JOHN L. KEROUAC

MAR. 12, 1922 - OCT 21, 1969

- HE HONORED LIFE -

STELLA HIS WIFE

NOV. 11, 1918 - FEB. 10, 1990

One side of the family monument contains the image of a dove, the signature Jack Kerouac and the phrase "The Road is Life".

The other side of the family monument contains a list of in-law family names and dates including:

MARCH 12, 1922 JOHN LOUIS KEROUAC OCTOBER 21, 1969

Jack Kerouac was born Jean-Louis Kérouac on March 12, 1922 in Lowell, Massachusetts to French-Canadian parents. He attended Columbia University in New York City where he played football. When an injury ended is football career he dropped out of school.

In 1942 Kerouac joined the United States Merchant Marine and, in 1943, served briefly in the United States Navy before receiving an honorably discharged on psychiatric grounds. He wrote his first novel, The Sea is My Brother , while in the Merchant Marine.

Upon leaving the navy and back in New York City, he met other members of the "Beat Generation" including Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs. Kerouac became a leading voice of the post-modern "Beat Generation". His seminal novel On the Road, was published in 1951. It defined the prevailing counterculture in America. During his life he published a large number of poems and works of fiction.

Bibliography from Wikipedia:

Poetry:

Mexico City Blues (1955; published 1959)
The Scripture of the Golden Eternity (1956; published 1960)
Scattered Poems (1945–1968; published 1971)
Book of Sketches (1952–1957)
Old Angel Midnight (1956; published 1973)
Trip Trap: Haiku on the Road from SF to NY (1959; published 1973)
Heaven and Other Poems (1957–1962; published 1977)
San Francisco Blues (1954; published 1991)
Pomes All Sizes (compiled 1960; published 1992)
Book of Blues (1954–1961)
Book of Haikus (published 2003)
Collected Poems (published 2012)
Old Angel Midnight (City Lights Publishers, 2016 edition)

Fiction:

The Town and the City (1950; written 1946–1949)
On the Road (1957; written 1947–1951)
The Subterraneans (1958; written 1953)
The Dharma Bums (1958)
Doctor Sax (1959; written 1952)
Maggie Cassidy (1959; written 1953) 
Tristessa (1960; written 1955–1956)
Lonesome Traveler, short story collection (1960)
Book of Dreams (1960; written 1952–1960)
Big Sur (1962)
Visions of Gerard (1963; written 1956)
Desolation Angels (1965)
Satori in Paris (1965)
Vanity of Duluoz (1968)
Visions of Cody (1972; written 1951–1952)
Pic (1971; written 1951 & 1969)
The Sea is My Brother (1942) 
Orpheus Emerged (1944–1945; published 2002)
The Haunted Life and Other Writings (1944; published 2014)
And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks (1945; published 2008)
La vie est d'hommage (1950-1965; published 2016)
The Unknown Kerouac (published 2016)

Other work and non-fiction:

Atop an Underwood: Early Stories and Other Writings (1936–1943; published 1999)
Good Blonde & Others (1955; published 1993)
Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha (1955; published 2008)
Some of the Dharma (1953–1956; published 1997)
Beat Generation, a play (1957, published 2005)