Memorial Tablets

Two marble tablets, now on display at the Randall Library, recognize the local soldiers from Stow who fought in the American Revolution and in the Civil War. The tablets were dedicated during the town’s Bicentennial celebration on May 16, 1883 and originally placed in the town hall.

According to Ethel B. Child’s History of Stow: Tercentenary Edition 1683-1983, Stow’s Bicentennial was a grand affair. The festivities began at 10:30 in the morning when the citizens of the town gathered on the common to plant a bicentennial tree. Following the ceremony, there was a procession to the town hall where entrance was given “by priority of honor, age, or services rendered.” Then, a blessing and historical address by General Swift took place under a “great tent,” which could accommodate 1,500 people.

The multitude that gathered consumed more than 4,000 sandwiches and 200 gallons of coffee. Wooden plates were used, one of which can be found today in the collection of the Stow Historical Society. Toasts, poems, and musical performances occurred, and the day concluded with a “social dance” during the evening.

The opening inscription on the first tablet details their commemorative purpose:

THESE TABLETS
ARE ERECTED
BY THE
TOWN OF STOW
ON ITS
TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY MAY 16, 1883
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE VALOR
AND DEVOTION OF ITS CITIZENS WHO AIDED
IN ACHIEVING AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE
AND EXTENDING THE LIBERTY
AND PRESERVING THE UNITY OF OUR COUNTRY
AND WHO DIED IN THEIR COUNTRY’S SERVICE
—
SOLDIERS IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
—
JOHN GORDON
OF CAPT JOSHUA PARKER’S CO COL WILLIAM PRESCOTT’S REGT
DIED IN CAMP AT CAMBRIDGE JUNE 19 1775

DANIEL GATES
OF CAPT JOSHUA BROWN’S CO COL TIMOTHY BIGELOW’S REGT
DIED JAN 20 1778

EPHRAIM GATES
OF CAPT WHIPPLE’S CO COL RUFUS PUTNAM’S REGT
DIED MARCH 19 1778

STEPHEN HALE
OF CAPT JOSHUA BROWN’S CO COL TIMOTHY BIGELOW’S REGT
DIED JULY 2 1778

BENJAMIN GATES
OF CAPT JOSHUA BROWN’S CO COL TIMOTHY BIGELOW’S REGT
DIED JULY 9 1778

The second tablet contains the names of soldiers from town who died during the Civil War.