Landmarks

National Monument to the Forefathers

The idea for a National Monument to the Forefathers was first conceived in 1820 with the establishment of the Pilgrim Society, but did not solidify until 1850 when they resolved to have it built. In May of 1855, the Pilgrim Society hired Hammatt Billings (1818-1874), a Boston architect, illustrator and sculptor, to design the National Monument to the Forefathers. The finished monument was dedicated on August 1, 1889, 30 years after its groundbreaking, and has stood in its present location for more than 100 years.

The monument was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, in recognition of its historical and cultural significance. The Pilgrim Society gifted the monument to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2001 when they decided the organization could no longer afford to repair and maintain the statue.

The site is now managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of State Parks and Recreation.

A Hampton Save- A-Landmark Project
On Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2003, the day following Columbus Day, Hampton volunteers from Boston and Providence traveled back to where the first Americans arrived to refurbish a symbolic piece of U.S. history. Since its dedication more than 100 years ago, the 81-foot tall National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, Mass - one of the nation’s largest solid granite statues - has seen its image of the lady "Faith", her pedestal and walkway of historic pavers deteriorate from time and weather. In an event to mark its public-private partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Hampton Inn Hotels utilized its Save-A-Landmark program and hotel volunteers to refurbish the site’s 107-foot walkway in the Monument’s first step toward restoration.

More Information on Hampton Hotel's Save-A-Landmark Progam