Staten Island’s military history is very significant in the history of not only NYC, but of the United States as a whole. The history of Fort Wadsworth can be traced to the 1660s, making it the longest continuously manned military installation in the United States. Additionally, the Conference House, at the southern tip of the island, was the site of a peace conference that almost ended the Revolutionary War in 1776. In addition to these sites, the sacrifices made by Staten Islanders can be appreciated at memorials throughout the Island.
1. The Hiker at Tompkinsville Park
The Hiker | via NYC Parks
Tompkinsville Park is home to the bronze statue The Hiker, sculpted by Allen G. Newman. It commemorates “the heroes of all wars in which our beloved country was engaged for the principles of democracy and a lasting civilization.” The Hiker depicts the type of solider that fought in Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. It was located in front of Staten Island Borough Hall until 1925 when it was moved to its current location after being frequently struck by automobiles.
2. Sullivan’s Attack at Veterans Park
Sullivan’s Attack Memorial | Wally Gobetz via Flickr
Veterans Park, in Port Richmond, contains a bronze plaque on a boulder commemorating Sullivan’s Attack. On August 22, 1777, in the middle of the Revolutionary War, General John Sullivan commanded a daring raid against the British forces on Staten Island. The plaque memorializes how “Gen. William Smallwood routed British provincials at Decker’s Ferry.” The memorial was created by the Staten Island Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1930.
3. World War I Memorial at Pleasant Plains Plaza
WWI Memorial |via NYC Parks
The Pleasant Plains Plaza World War I Memorial was erected on June 9, 1923. It was designed in the image of the famous Winged Victory of Samothrace, which resides in the Louvre. The monument was designed by George T. Brewster at a cost of $8,500. Once again, vehicular traffic went to battle with a war memorial. In 1963, a car broke off the statue’s arm and wrist, and in 1965 another vehicle toppled the statue to the ground, thereby severing its legs. The statue was removed in 1974 and put into storage where it was stolen. In 1987, to put insult to injury, the pedestal was destroyed by yet another car crash. In 1996, a new statue was cast based on photographs of the original, where it proudly stands today.
4. Clarence T. Barrett Memorial at Barrett Triangle
Barrett Triangle’s Major Clarence T. Barrett Memorial | via NYC Parks
The Major Clarence T. Barrett Memorial is located in the Saint George section of Staten Island. The memorial honors Major Clarence Tynan Barrett, who fought valiantly in the Civil War, especially in the Union siege of Mobile and the Battle of Richmond. After the war, Barrett returned to his native Staten Island where he engaged in landscape architecture and sanitation engineering; he would later serve as Police Commissioner and as Superintendent of the Poor. The statue was dedicated on Veterans Day, 1915 and was designed by Sherry Edmundson Fry. In 1945, the statue was moved from its original place in front of Borough Hall to its current location.
5. The Great Kills Veterans Memorial
The Great Kills Veterans Memorial
The Great Kills Veterans Memorial is located outside the Great Kills Staten Island Railway Station. Since 2001, the statue has served as the commencement point for the Great Kills Memorial Day Parade. It consists of five slabs, each 8 feet high and weighing 2 tons, representing the branches of the United States armed forces. The field of paving stones the monument rests on measures 9 feet by 11 feet — a tribute to the victims of 9/11.
