John F. Kennedy Memorial
John F. Kennedy Memorial stands in Veterans Memorial Park overlooking Lewis Bay, where Kennedy frequently sailed during the years he spent at Hyannis Port. Its waterfront setting connects his public legacy with the Cape Cod landscape that remained an important part of his private and family life.
Commissioned by the citizens of Barnstable, the memorial was dedicated on July 8, 1966, less than three years after Kennedy’s assassination. Its central stone wall contains a bronze profile of the president facing the bay, while the Great Seal of the United States appears on the opposite side. Much of the stone used in its construction came from Cape Cod.
A reflecting pool and fountain stand before the memorial. Surrounding the pool are words adapted from Kennedy’s 1962 address on the national economy: “I believe it is important that this country sail and not lie still in the harbor.” The setting and quotation recall both his love of sailing and his belief that the country must continue moving forward.
Set beside the waters Kennedy knew so well, the memorial offers a quiet place to consider both his presidency and his lasting connection to Cape Cod. Its location in Hyannis brings his national legacy into the community where he sailed, gathered with his family and found refuge from public life.
Read More From Nancy
John F. Kennedy Jr., 1963
On November 25, 1963, three-year-old John F. Kennedy Jr. stood outside St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C. and saluted as his father’s funeral procession passed. The moment occurred on the young boy’s third birthday and became one of the most poignant images following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The statue was conceived by […]
Michael K. Aselton Memorial Park
Michael K. Aselton Memorial Park honors a Barnstable police officer who lost his life while serving the community. Patrolman Aselton had been with the Barnstable Police Department for four years when he was killed in the line of duty on March 29, 1983, at the age of 25. Aselton was conducting radar enforcement on Old […]
What Could’ve Been
What Could’ve Been is a maquette, or small-scale model, created by sculptor David Lewis in 2000 for a proposed statue honoring President John F. Kennedy and his son, John F. Kennedy Jr. Sponsored by the Hyannis Area Chamber of Commerce, the sculpture presents them walking barefoot together, with the president’s arm resting affectionately across his son’s […]
