Altar to liberty at Greenwood Cemetery, brooklyn
One hundred years ago today … New Yorkers gathered for the unveiling of the city’s newest monument, the Altar to Liberty: a statue of the Greek/Roman deity Athena/Minerva, sculpted by F. Wellington Ruckstull and installed in Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn. Photos of the very day survive.
Altar to Liberty, Greenwood Cemetery, August 27, 1920. William Lee Younger, Old Brooklyn in Early Photography. (New York: Dover Publications, 1978) p. 155.
Greenwood Cemetery, August 27, 1920. William Lee Younger, Old Brooklyn in Early Photography. (New York: Dover Publications, 1978) p. 154.
The monument commemorates the Battle of Long Island (August 27, 1776 ), the first battle fought by the United States as a nation. It stands at the zenith of Battle Hill, the highest point in the cemetery. Athena/Minerva is meant to be raising her hand (and on this day, a wreath) in salute to the Statue of Liberty.
The Daily News coverage the following day highlighted the ceremonial role of three women: Maud Kouwenhoven, Margaret Harrison, and Rachel Higgins.
Daily News, 28 August 1920, p. 24. Chronicle of America.
Higgins was the daughter of the monument’s donor, Charles M. Higgins, a prominent Brooklynite, longtime resident of 101 Prospect Park West. Higgins was an Irish immigrant who had made a fortune in ink, creating Higgins American India Ink, which led to the formation of the Charles M. Higgins Company, Fun fact: he was also an early antivaxxer.
WRITTEN BY JONATHAN GOLDMAN, AUGUST 27, 1920.
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