This is a replica of the famous sculpture of the Puritan which depicts the Deacon Samuel Chapin...one of the first settlers of Springfield.
The Museum placard indicates that this replica was made in 1899 while the original was made in 1887.
Wikipedia's article about the original (
visit link) informs us:
""The Puritan is a bronze statue by sculptor Augustus St. Gaudens in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, which later became so popular that it was reproduced for over 20 other cities, museums, universities, and private collectors around the world. Augustus Saint-Gaudens was one of the most influential and successful artists of the late nineteenth century.
History
In 1881, Chester W. Chapin, a railroad tycoon and congressman from Springfield, Massachusetts, commissioned the renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create a bronze likeness of his ancestor, Deacon Samuel Chapin (1595–1675), one of the early settlers of the City of Springfield. By 1881, Springfield had become one of America's most innovative industrial and manufacturing centers, and was one of the wealthiest cities in the United States.
The sculpture, cast at the Bureau Brothers Foundry in Philadelphia, was unveiled on November 24, 1887 in Stearns Square, between Bridge Street and Worthington Street - a collaboration between the artistic "dream team" of Stanford White (of the renowned architecture firm McKim, Mead, and White) and Saint-Gaudens - and featured numerous sculptural and landscape architectural details to enhance the sculpture. In 1899 the statue was moved to Merrick Park, on the corner of Chestnut and State Streets, one of Springfield's most important intersections, (later the site of The Quadrangle cultural center). It has remained there ever since.
The Puritans were 16th and 17th century English Protestants, mostly Calvinists. They believed that the Church of England was not pure enough...that is..that is still was too similar to the Roman Church and needed to be reformed.
This impressive sculpture of the The Deacon can be found next to the palatial Springfield City Library. The base is inscribed: "1595 Anno Domini 1675 Deacon Samuel Chapin One Of The Founders Of Springfield'"