Signs, Symbols and Stones: The Portuguese American Urban Ethnic Landscape #5

Monument honoring Revolutionary War hero Pedro Francisco in New Bedford. Photo by the author.

Signs, symbols and stones (monuments). Today we’ll learn some more about ‘stones:’ some interesting things about military monuments in this urban ethnic landscape. We’re continuing our expedition to learn about a different culture, that of Portuguese Americans, and how aspects of that culture are visible in the landscape of southeastern New England.

What can we learn from military monuments? Above is one in New Bedford that honors Pedro (Peter) Francisco, a hero of the Revolution praised by George Washington. The monument stresses his Portuguese descent. A monument to him has also been installed on the island of Terceira in the Azores where he was born. (We’ll see more about monument ‘pairing’ as these posts go along.)

Names of war dead from Fall River on a monument in Kennedy Park. Photo by the author.

Almost every city and town has a monument(s) honoring the dead from various wars and listing their names. These monuments can incidentally reveal the ethnicity of veterans who fought in various conflicts. For example, a veterans’ monument in Kennedy Park in Fall River honors that city’s soldiers who died in all wars. While it is not specifically a “Portuguese monument” the list of names can be used to show…