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Whaling City
Restoration Committee
Nathan Hale Statue, Williams Park, New London, CT Nathan
Hale, American Hero
Nathan Hale was
born in Coventry, Connecticut in 1755. He attended Yale
University, graduating at the age of 18. He became a teacher,
first in East Haddam, then in 1774 at Union School in New London where
he prepared young men to enter college. In July, 1775, he
resigned from Union School and joined the Continental Army as a
lieutenant. When Washington needed information about General
Howe’s troops encamped on Long Island, Capt. Hale volunteered to spy on
the British. He traveled to Long Island disguised as a Dutch
schoolteacher. He was captured by the British, tried as a spy,
and hung on September 21, 1776 in New York City. The 21 year old
Hale was buried in an unmarked grave. His last words as reported
by the British were, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose
for my country.
The statue of Nathan Hale in Williams Park in New London, Connecticut was sculpted by Frederick MacMonnies. It is a copy of the statue that stands in City Hall Park in New York City. Hale was captured by the British and hung for his role as a spy for the Continental Army During the Revolutionary War. The phrase he uttered immediately before his death," I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" still inspires us today...  The phrase is carved around the top of the granite base below Hale’s bound feet...  From afar, the statue looks very elegant, a true tribute to Hale, Connecticut’s state hero. But closer inspection tells us all is not well with the statue. Forty-eight letters are either damaged or totally missing from the inscriptions on the front and back of the base. Also missing are some of the embellishments on the front, and graffiti mars the back...    WCRC plans to raise funds to help restore the lettering and clean off the graffiti on the base of the Nathan Hale statue. See Contact Us to make a donation. Return to the Future Projects Return to the WCRC Home Page |