Lewis Temple - New Bedford, MA - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com

The Smithsonian Inventory (visit link) provides the inscriptions and description of this life-sized bronze sculpture:

"Inscription:
(On plaque on front of base:) LEWIS TEMPLE/BLACKSMITH/INVENTOR OF THE IRON TOGGLE HARPOON TIP/BORN IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, IN 1800, LEWIS TEMPLE ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS A BLACKSMITH ON THE NEW BEDFORD WATERFRONT BY 1836./TEMPLE MANUFACTURED HIS FIRST TOGGLE-IRON IN 1848, ITS FASTENING POWER REVOLUTIONIZED THE CATCHING OF WHALES. THE INVENTION WAS NEVER/PATENTED, THEREFORE HIS ONLY ROYALTY WAS THE NAME THAT CLUNG TO IT./HE DIED IN NEW BEDFORD IN 1854, MILLIONS WERE MADE IN THE WHALING/INDUSTRY BECAUSE OF TEMPLE'S TOGGLE AFTER BUSINESS DEBTS WERE/CLEARED, THERE WAS NO LEGACY LEFT FOR HIS FAMILY (On plaque on back of base:) SCULPTOR/JIM TOATLEY/1941-1986/ERECTED/JULY 5, 1987 unsigned
Description:
A bronze portrait of Lewis Temple wearing his blacksmith's apron and examining a harpoon fitted with the iron toggle tip that he invented. The sculpture stands atop a square granite base which is adorned on the front with an iron toggle tip."

URL of the statue: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/10/2010 Metro2 visited it