Quick History Stops: Mansfield, MA
While in Mansfield, MA last Sunday — July 14, 2024 — I made several quick history stops around the Town Common. Like many New England towns, stops included municipal buildings such as the Town Hall and former town library, a classic New England church, and memorials for soldiers and firefighters located around a central green, while the Old Town Cemetery was located across the street.
Soldiers’ Memorial Library was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995; like nearby Fisher-Richardson House, the building has its own plaque created by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. The combination Gothic Revival and Shingle-Style style building was designed by the Boston-based architectural firm Peabody & Stearns around 1900. Other projects created by this company include Worcester City Hall, in Worcester, MA; Dorchester Heights Monument in Dorchester, MA; the original version of The Breakers in Newport, RI, which burned down in 1892; and Rough Point in Newport, RI. It no longer serves as a library but as a school administration building.
Next door was Mansfield Town Hall, a standard two-story red brick municipal building that originally served as the high school. Also in the area were a pair of Maya statues and a canon with canon balls. The statues were given to Walter MacPherson Lowney, owner of Lowney Chocolate Factory, in place of payment. Since the exchange happened before modern laws on exporting cultural artifacts and repatriation, the statues will remain in front of the former library for the foreseeable future.
The Town Common hosted a range of memorials and signs. On the far side of the common, a bell dedicated to Americans who died for their country stood atop a pedestal with plaques on each side. The main plaque represented all branches of the armed forces and military veterans. Going around clockwise, the second plaque commemorated all those who died in the September 11 attacks in Shanksville, PA; New York City, NY; and Washington, DC. The third plaque gave details on the bell, along with listing the many organizations who helped make the memorial possible. The bell was originally cast in West Troy, NY (now called Watervliet) in 1889 by Meneely Bell Company, whose bells are found throughout the United States and the world. The bell was originally rung in Methodist Episcopal Church until the congregation sold the building in 2017. Since its pastor, David A. Arruda, was a U.S. Army veteran, they donated the bell as a memorial. The fourth plaque gave a thorough explanation for the Purple Heart Medal, originally given by George Washington to three distinguished soldiers but not formally established until after World War I.
Across West Street was The Congregational Church of Mansfield. The classic whitewashed New England church with adjoining parsonage has a unique metal steeple turned green from exposure to the elements. Originally called the Orthodox Congregation Church according to its bylaws, the building has stood for over 180 years. The congregation formed in 1838 out of congregants who opposed slavery, and the original section of the building was constructed the next year.
Other memorials on the Town Common included a World War II Armed Forces Memorial engraved with the names of those who died during the war, the Mansfield Fire Department Memorial erected in 1944, and a World War I Memorial depicting a soldier in uniform carrying his gun as he marched into battle. I liked the setting of the statue, as he was surrounded by shrubs and ornamental trees along with an American flag behind him. Across Union Street was Old Town Cemetery with burials from the mid-18th through the early 20th century. A decorated electrical box at the side of the Town Common alerted passers-by to the upcoming Sestercentennial, the 250th anniversary of Mansfield, which will happen in 2025, making the town less than a year older than the country. Finally, my favorite part of the Town Common was a sign pointing to all the other Mansfields in the world, along with giving a distance to their own centers of town.
