Patriots Preserve Park in Shirley will be the home of a new monument featuring the Declaration of Independence under a project announced by Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico. The granite tribute with a bronze tablet featuring the 1776 document will be in place in time for the 250th Anniversary of the document that started the United States.
“Our monument will rival the one at Boston Common, a famed statue that’s been there since 1925,” Panico said of the Brookhaven tablet. “We’re proud to have a park that honors the local heroes who played such an important role in our country's founding,” the supervisor said.
Among the 56 signers of the historic document was William Floyd, a Mastic Patriot who risked his life and fortune by telling Britain’s King George that the colonists considered themselves free. Other local heroes honored by the park include Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull, who married Floyd’s sister, Ruth, Major Benjamin Tallmadge, head of a vital spy ring for General George Washington, and Col. William Tangier Smith, Lord of the Manor of St. George.
Funding for the monument came from a grant arranged by former Congressman Lee Zeldin when he was a state senator and former Senator Tom Croce, Panico noted. Other monies will come from the Sunrise Wind project that are flowing to Brookhaven for hosting the transmission cable that will bring renewable energy to the mainland. The town is in the procurement process for the monument, with the supervisor saying it will be a company specializing in such large-scale projects.
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| Boston Bronze and Stone |
“We are calling attention to the rich history of our community, and what better way to do so than by presenting a beautiful monument with the actual scripture of the declaration itself to be seen, read, and enjoyed by all who visit this beautiful park,” Panico concluded.