William H. Putnam Monument - Hartford, CT
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neoc1
N 41° 45.949 W 072° 40.338
18T E 693485 N 4626394
A tribute to civic leader William H. Putnam is located on the grounds of the Old State House in Hartford, CT
Waymark Code: WMHPYF
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 08/02/2013
Views: 1
William H. Putnam was born on February 1, 1878 in Brooklyn, CT. He is a descendant of Revolutionary War hero General Israel Putnam. He moved to Hartford where he served on the Parks and Redevelopment Commissions, became president of the Community Chest and Hartford Hospital, and headed the Hartford Flood Commission that built the dikes along the Connecticut River.
He is most famous for being chairman of he Greater Hartford Bridge Authority. In 1955, there were only two bridges that crosses the Connecticut river connecting the Hartford area with the eastern part of Connecticut. The bridges were inadequate for the increasing amount of traffic. In 1955, he proposed building new bridges and creating a bridge authority operate the bridges and issue bonds to finance their construction. By 1959, three new bridges were completed: the Bissell Bridge, Founders Bridge, and the Wethersfield-Glastonbury Bridge.
Monument to William H. Putnam, celebrating his achievements, was erected on his birthday, February 1, 1958, shortly before he died, on March 10, 1958. A bronze plaque, attached to a rough cut slab of granite, contains a bas-relief of his left profile and the following inscription:
IN RECOGNITION OF THE LASTING
CONTRIBUTION TOWARD A BETTER LIFE FOR THE
PEOPLE OF CONNECTICUT – ESPECIALLY FOR
THOSE OF GREATER HARTFORD BY
WILLIAM H. PUTNAM
WITH ABILITY – COURAGE – DEVOTION AND
VISION HE SERVED HIS CITY AND HIS STATE
IN BUSINESS – EDUCATION – POLITICS – RELIGION
AND THE ARTS. HIS EFFORTS AND
ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE FIELDS OF HOSPITALS
MEDICAL RESEARCH – FLOOD CONTROL – HOUSING
REDEVELOPMENT – BRIDGE BUILDING AND
OTHER SPLENDID CIVIC PROJECTS PLACE HIM
AMONG OUR GREATEST LEADERS
THIS PLAQUE – THE GIFT OF HIS GRATEFUL FELLOW CITIZENS – WAS UNVEILED
FEBRUARY 1, 1958 – THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH