Sunday, April 13, 2008
John Endicott Statue
A standing portrait of John Endicott dressed in early colonial attire consisting of a jacket with a wide, square collar, knee breeches, buckle shoes, and a long cape. He holds his hat down at his side in his proper right hand. The sculpture rests on a square base that extends from a large granite wall. A low granite bench surround the base of the wall. The statue is white granite and is approximately 10 ft. in height on a 4 1/2 ft. base, which is made of granite.
John Endicott was a Puritan colonial leader known for his intolerance of religious dissenters. Between 1630 and 1664, he was at various times assistant governor, deputy governor, or governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1636 he led an expedition against the Pequot which caused the already difficult relationship between the native peoples and the colonists to deteriorate into a state of war. The Pequot War of 1637 eventually resulted in the death or capture of most of the Pequot. During the 1650s, Endicott was responsible for the persecution of many Quakers, whom he either imprisoned, banished, or executed.