Huntington memorial illuminated for first time since 1954
The Nathan Hale Memorial in Huntington is lit up, for the first time in more than sixty years.
There were lights on the original monument, but they were damaged in a move in 1954 and have not worked since. An article by a Huntington historian drew comments from readers that asked for further clarification, which led to an effort to restore the memorial.
The idea for the memorial was spurred by the unveiling of a statue of Nathan Hale in New York City in 1893. Huntington residents wanted a similar monument, and Stanford White designed it and pledged $400 of his own money toward construction. An association formed and raised the rest of the funds, and the memorial was dedicated on July 4, 1894.
When New York State reconstructed Route 25A in 1954, the 15-foot monument was relocated, and the lights were turned off. Research recently revealed that all that was needed was to plug them back in, and on December 22, 2015, the monument's lights were turned on again, to the delight of Huntington residents.
Throughout the history of the monument, various groups created booklets about it and the progress made on construction. City officials could do the same thing today, working with a brochure printer to create a booklet about the latest chapter in the history of the memorial.
There were lights on the original monument, but they were damaged in a move in 1954 and have not worked since. An article by a Huntington historian drew comments from readers that asked for further clarification, which led to an effort to restore the memorial.
The idea for the memorial was spurred by the unveiling of a statue of Nathan Hale in New York City in 1893. Huntington residents wanted a similar monument, and Stanford White designed it and pledged $400 of his own money toward construction. An association formed and raised the rest of the funds, and the memorial was dedicated on July 4, 1894.
When New York State reconstructed Route 25A in 1954, the 15-foot monument was relocated, and the lights were turned off. Research recently revealed that all that was needed was to plug them back in, and on December 22, 2015, the monument's lights were turned on again, to the delight of Huntington residents.
Throughout the history of the monument, various groups created booklets about it and the progress made on construction. City officials could do the same thing today, working with a brochure printer to create a booklet about the latest chapter in the history of the memorial.