Thomas Paine Monument, Memorial monument in New Rochelle, United States
The Thomas Paine Monument is a sculpture at the corner of North Avenue and Paine Avenue in New Rochelle. It features a bronze bust mounted on a marble base to honor the writer and thinker.
The monument was first built in 1839 by John Frazee as the earliest memorial to Thomas Paine in the country, with the bronze bust added in 1899 by James Wilson MacDonald. This staggered creation makes it an important early commemoration.
The monument represents the contributions of Thomas Paine to American independence through his writings, including the influential pamphlet Common Sense.
The monument sits at a street corner that is easy to reach on foot, right near the Thomas Paine Cottage Museum. Its location makes it simple to visit both sites during a walk through downtown New Rochelle.
Between 1839 and 1881, people broke off pieces of the base and damaged corners while trying to collect relics from the monument. Repairs later rounded off the sharp edges, which shaped how it looks today.
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