Statue of the Teen Girl Paul Revere - Danbury, CT
Posted by: neoc1
N 41° 23.581 W 073° 27.095
18T E 629449 N 4583543
An equestrian statue of Revolutionary War heroine, "the teen girl Paul Revere", Sybil Ludington is located on the grounds of the Danbury, CT Public Library at 170 Main Street in Danbury, CT
Waymark Code: WMPBZF
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 08/06/2015
Views: 4
A 6' by 3' by 5' bronze equestrian statue of Revolutionary War heroine, known as the female Paul Revere, Sybil Ludington rests on a 3' by 2' by 4' stone base. The sculpture depicts sixteen year old Sibyl Ludington on horseback during her famous ride of April 26, 1777 when she was warning the citizens of British controlled Putnam County, NY that the British were raiding nearby Danbury, CT.
Miss Ludington is depicted wearing a dress with a cape and her long hair in a ponytail over her right shoulder. She is riding sidesaddle on the left side of a horse. Her right hand is raised above her head clutching a branch while she is holding the reins of her horse in her left hand. She holds the reins of the horse in her proper left hand and has her left foot in a stirrup. Her mouth is open as if shouting a warning. The horse is rearing back slightly and has its right front foot raised.
The sculpture was created by Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington and cast by the Roman Bronze Works in 1960. It was donated to the City of Danbury by the sculptor and dedicated September 11, 1971.
A bronze plaque at ground level is inscribed:
SYBIL LUDINGTON
ON APRIL 26, 1777, THIS BRAVE SIXTEEN-
YEAR - OLD GIRL RODE THROUGH THE
ENEMY-INFESTED COUNTRYSIDE FOR
THIRTY MILES IN PUTNAM COUNTY, NEW
YORK, TO WARN THE LOCAL MILITIA THAT
BRITISH TROOPS WERE ATTACKING AND
PLUNDERING DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.
DONATED BY ANNA HYATT HUNTINGTON.
Sybil Ludington was born to Abigail and Colonel Henry Ludington on April 5, 1761 in Patterson, NY. On the night of April 26, 1777 her father learned that the British were attacking Danbury, CT, about 25 miles west of their home. Barely sixteen years old, Sybil then made her famous ride to help gather her father's troops and to warn the people of the area of an impending attack by the British.
At 9 pm, in the rain, she embarked on a forty mile horseback ride to notify villagers that the British were burning Danbury, and called out for the militia to assemble at the home of Colonel Ludington. Her route took her through the Putnam County towns of Carmel, Mahopac, Kent Cliffs, Farmers Mills, and back home. A ride that was twice as long as Paul Revere's. When Sybil returned home about four hundred men were assembled, ready to stop the British army.
Sybil Ludington was recognized for her heroic ride by General George Washington. She continued to help throughout the rest of the Revolutionary War as a messenger. In 1976, the US Post Office issued a stamp commemorating Sybil’s ride and honoring her as a Contributor to the Cause.