032. William's Granite Guardian

We travel to Mont Vernon, NH is search of William's Granite Guardian combining the subject matters of a few previous episodes. 

Transcript

Welcome back to the New England on a Pedestal podcast with me, Doug Farquharson. We travel around our six-state area, find some interesting statues, and discuss them. This one will be one of our “mini-sodes” where we cut to the chase and do a quick dive into one local work and its particular history. I hope you enjoy it!

In past episodes we have covered man’s best friend a few times. Sarah’s Dog in episode 19. Spencer, sitting along the Boston Marathon route in episode 20. The state dog of Maine in number 22. Connecticut’s Sergeant Stubby in number 25 and Rover in number 26. In episode number 24, we visited Mount Hope Cemetery in Barre, Vermont to explore some of the unique headstones there. Today we find ourselves in Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, where we will be combining these two subject matters into one story. We are at the Greenlawn Cemetery on North Main Street, and we are looking for the final resting place of William G. Bruce. His gravesite can be found down a dirt path near a grand old tree. The headstone is faded and discolored now. Etched into the stone face is the following: “October 27th, 1883. Accidently shot while hunting.”

The Bruces had been in and around Mont Vernon for quite some time and were a well-known and well-respected family. His grandfather had moved up from Marlborough, Massachusetts and became a pastor there. His father had been a blacksmith in town. William was a hard-working mechanic, had served locally as a selectman, and had been elected to the state legislature. He was also an avid hunter. Unfortunately, one day while out hunting alone in the local woods in nearby New Boston, he suffered a mortal gunshot wound. As he was loading his wagon to return home, a shotgun discharged, hitting him in the left arm and nearly severing it from his body. Somehow, he and his foxhound, Jack managed to get back to town before collapsing from blood loss. A young boy found him and helped get him to a doctor. Sadly, the damage and blood loss was too much, and he died later that day with his wife, Augusta, who had been rushed to the hotel where he lay, and his faithful dog by his side. As we said, William was a hard-working man, but he was also frugal, and Augusta was left with a sizable sum of money. She contacted a monument maker named Hubert Brennan, from Peterborough, New Hampshire to create a fitting monument for her late husband. So, today we find a hound dog carved out of local granite lying in silent vigil over his master and mourning the loss of his hunting partner. The granite guardian is carved in great detail, accurately displaying the droop of Jack’s ears, the folds in his skin, and the nails on his paws as he lies there. A faithful, eternal companion keeping watch for almost a century and a half.

We would love to hear from you. Let us know what you think. What are we doing right? What can we do better? Let us know of a statue with a story near and dear to you. We can be reached via email at newenglandonapedestal@farqie.com. That’s New England on a Pedestal all one word at F A R Q I E dot com.  Go to Facebook and like the New England on a Pedestal page. Follow us on Instagram. You can now find a fan mail link in the description of each episode to send a message to us. There is also a voicemail and text line where you can reach out to us. Call or text (857) 410-0464. If you’re calling from outside the United States, remember to add the +1-country code. 

As always, I want to thank Jason, Jake, Sam, and Bekka for their artistic and technical help in producing this podcast and Steffani for her administrative assistance. But, most importantly, I want to thank you, the listener, for tuning in and sticking with us. Without you, there is no podcast!

Join us next episode when we venture to another New England town and dig into some local history there. Until next time, be safe, be well, be kind and keep discovering. Thanks for listening!