In my late night perusings through eBay, I often see old postcards of a statue of General Warren. I’ve never known what happened to that statue…until now. Mark has put up a complete history of the statue.
The short version is that the statue was removed for roadwork and never replaced, and now lives at Roxbury Latin in West Roxbury. Whether or not it should stay there is an interesting question. On the one hand, it would be marvelous to see it return to the street named after him in Roxbury, in front of his former homestead. On the other hand, his history as a slave owner means such a move is unlikely to garner much community support anytime soon. Perhaps the statue could come home, but include a plaque or accompanying text that delves into this past and entices the reader to consider the complicated history of slavery in the US and the modern African American experience?
For the uninitiated, here’s a link to another link to everything you ever wanted to know about Joseph Warren. Even though neither he nor his statue lived in Fort Hill, he was a central figure in Roxbury at a time when Roxbury life was centered around Eliot Square, so he’s certainly connected.