Millmore’s Confederate Statue
Standing outside the Framingham History Center is a powerful piece of the town’s history: a Civil war memorial sculpture created by the noted nineteenth century artist Martin Millmore.
Millmore, an Irish-born sculptor who became one of Massachusetts’ more prolific creators of war memorial, is known for honoring ordinary citizens who answered extraordinary calls to service. His works appear in communities across the state, each one rooted in local sacrifice rather than distant battlefields. The Framingham statue commemorates the town’s men who served in the Union cause.
Millmore’s statue originally stood inside the Edgell Memorial Library when it opened in the early 1870s. The Librarywas opened not only as a place of learning but also a memorial to Framingham’s Civil War service. Around the turn of the twentieth century, it was moved outdoors, where it could stand in full public view.
Monuments and statues like this hold space for what a town chooses to remember, quietly shaping how history is honored, reflected upon and carried forward by future generations.
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Henry Knox in Framingham
In Framingham, Massachusetts, there stands a granite block bearing an inscription that is easy to pass by without a second glance. Yet the words carved into this stone marks one of the most daring feats of the American Revolution: “Through this place passed Henry Knox in the winter of 1775–1776 to deliver to General George Washington […]
Thomas Eames Sign
Driving along a road in Framingham is this roadside sign that marks the location where the home of Thomas Eames once stood. There is no remaining structure, only the sign indicating that this was the site of a 17th century homestead. On February 1, 1676, during the King Philip’s War, the Eames house was attacked. At […]
Old Soldier’s Lot
I drove to the Framingham Cemetery to discover the stone monument marking a section known as the Old Soldier’s Lot. Monuments like this quietly ask us to stop and remember. At the top of the plaque are the words: “This tablet in honor of John Nixon“. The monument recognized John Nixon, a Framingham native who played an important […]
