Edmund Hartt at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

The monument to Edmund Hartt at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground connects this historic cemetery to Boston’s shipbuilding waterfront. Hartt owned the North End shipyard where the USS Constitution was built, helping provide the setting and skilled labor for one of the young United States Navy’s most ambitious projects. His memorial preserves the name of a craftsman whose work became part of the nation’s maritime history.

Building Constitution required several kinds of expertise. Joshua Humphreys designed the frigate, and naval constructor George Claghorn directed its construction at Hartt’s yard. Although Hartt is often remembered simply as the ship’s builder, the vessel emerged from a coordinated effort involving designers, supervisors, shipwrights, and numerous suppliers. The yard became a place where plans were translated into a substantial wooden warship.

Much of that work depended on hand tools and experienced judgment. Shipwrights used specialized axes to shape the timbers, while adzes reduced and smoothed their surfaces. Each piece had to fit within a structure that would withstand the weight of guns, the strain of sails, and the movement of the sea. The ship’s construction reflects the accumulated knowledge of people who understood wood, tools, and the demands placed on a working vessel.

On October 21, 1797, Constitution finally entered Boston Harbor after two unsuccessful launch attempts the previous month. Launching the hull was a major achievement, but considerable work remained. Interior carpentry, masts, rigging, armament, provisions, and recruitment still had to be completed before the ship could begin its service. Constitution departed Boston on its first operational voyage on July 22, 1798, nine months after its launch.

The frigate later gained lasting fame during the War of 1812, when its victories against British warships helped establish the reputation associated with “Old Ironsides.” Behind that celebrated history stood the earlier work at Hartt’s shipyard—the labor that made the ship’s service possible.