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.