Boscawen in Merrimack County, New Hampshire — The American Northeast (New England)
Heroum Gesta
Fides Justitia
Photographed By Douglas Finney, June 5, 2019
1. Heroum Gesta Marker
(Front/West side)
Hannah Duston
Mary Neff
Samuel Leonardson
March 30 1697
Mid-night
(Front base of monument)
David Blanchard
W. Concord, N.H.
(Right/South side)
Statua
Know ye that we with many plant it in trust to the state we give and grant it that the tide of time may never cant it nor mar nor sever That pilgrims here may heed the mothers that truth & faith & all the others with banners high in glorious colors may stand forever
Witness
B.F. Prescott
Isaac K. Gage
Nathl. Bouton S
Eliph S. Nutter S
Robt. B. Caverly S
(Back/East side)
March
15 1697 30
The war whoop tomahawk faggot & infanticides were at Haverhill The ashes of wigwam-camp-fires at night & of ten of the tribe are here
(Left/North side)
Donors
John S. Brown F. • Jonas B. Aikin Fr. • John Proctor A. • Almon Harris F. • Edward L. Knowlton C. • Artemas L. Brooks L. • Geo. W. Nesmith Fr. • Josiah C. Graves N. • Onslow Stearns C. • Benj. F. Butler L. • Morris Knowles La. • Walter Aiken Fr. • Edward Spaulding N. • Henry F. & D.A. Brown F. • Joseph Stickney C. • John C. Gage F. • Geo. A. Pillsbury C. • James C. Ayer L. • Issac Adams S. • Calvin Gage
this page online
Erected 1874.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Native Americans • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is March 30, 1697.
Location. 43° 17.293′ N, 71° 35.432′ W. Marker is in Boscawen, New Hampshire, in Merrimack County. Marker is on King Street (U.S. 4), on the right. The monument is several hundred feet south of US Route 4 and is located on a small island at the confluence of the Contoocook and Merrimack Rivers. The monument is visible from the US Route 4 bridge over the Merrimack River. The site is known as the Hannah Duston Memorial State Historic Site. The site can be accessed via a foot path from the Boscawen Park & Ride parking lot on US route 4. The trail leading to the site from the parking lot is a very easy walk and includes a railroad bridge over the Contoocook River which has a separate pedestrian walkway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Concord NH 03303, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Hannah Dustin (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); 1866 Penacook Academy 1875 (approx. 0.7 miles away); Guyette Pool (approx. 0.7 miles away); In Honor of Penacook Veterans (approx.
Photographed By Douglas Finney, June 5, 2019
2. Heroum Gesta Marker
Front/West side
More about this marker. The Latin Heroum Gesta Fides Justitia translates to
"Heroic by Faith
Faith and Justice"
Also see . . .
1. The Gruesome Story of Hannah Duston, Whose Slaying of Indians Made Her an American Folk “Hero”. Smithsonian website entry:
“Though she’s all but forgotten today, Hannah Duston was probably the first American woman to be memorialized in a public monument, and this statue is one of three built in her honor between 1861 and 1879. The mystery of why Americans came to see patriotic “heroism” in Duston’s extreme—even gruesome—violence, and why she became popular more than 100 years after her death, helps explain how the United States sees itself in world conflicts today.” (Submitted on June 14, 2019, by Douglas Finney of Concord, New Hampshire, USA.)
2. Hannah Duston Memorial Site. NH State
Photographed By Douglas Finney, June 5, 2019
3. Heroum Gesta Marker
Right/South side
Additional keywords. Hannah Duston
Photographed By Douglas Finney, June 5, 2019
4. Heroum Gesta Marker
Back/East side
Photographed By Douglas Finney, June 5, 2019
5. Heroum Gesta Marker
Left/North side
via Smithsonian, unknown
6. Junius Brutus Stearns, "Hannah Duston Killing the Indians" (1847).
Photographed By Douglas Finney, June 5, 2019
7. Heroum Gesta Marker
Looking southerly at the monument from the US Route 4 bridge over the Merrimack River. The monument can be seen just to the left of the old stone bridge pier.
Photographed By Douglas Finney, June 5, 2019
8. Merrimack River
Looking northeasterly toward the US Route 4 bridge from the river bank near the monument.
Photographed By Douglas Finney, June 5, 2019
9. Railroad bridge which provides access to the island and monument site
Credits. This page was last revised on May 17, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 14, 2019, by Douglas Finney of Concord, New Hampshire, USA. This page has been viewed 626 times since then and 46 times this year. Last updated on June 18, 2019, by Douglas Finney of Concord, New Hampshire, USA. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 14, 2019, by Douglas Finney of Concord, New Hampshire, USA. 6. submitted on May 17, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 7. submitted on June 14, 2019, by Douglas Finney of Concord, New Hampshire, USA. 8, 9. submitted on June 18, 2019, by Douglas Finney of Concord, New Hampshire, USA. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
