On Saturday, June 17, 1905, a new monument was unveiled on the Lower Green, honoring the memory of the early settlers of Newbury.  Elizabeth L. Withington is credited with the success of the venture, as she wrote letters and engaged the interest of descendants.  The design on top of the granite-based monument is a bronze replica of the Mary and John under full sail, originally executed by the Woodland Foundry.  The Mary and John was the ship on which early settlers of Newbury made the voyage from England across the Atlantic.

 

 

In the fall of 1974, the unthinkable happened.  The bronze replica of the ship had been stolen from atop the monument during the night.  The replica weighed over 150 pounds, but evidently there was never a concern for its safety - it had been placed on the base in 1905 with no bond to the granite!

 

 

Burt Noyes, an active society member, spent the next year leading a campaign to restore the bronze ship and have it secured permanently to the monument.  The design and bronze work, following the original, were completed at the Paul King Foundry of Johnston, Rhode Island.  The monument was rededicated August 28, 1976.

 

 

Names on the Monument

It is important to note that the names listed on the back side of the monument are not the only first settlers of the town.  One will note the wording above the names: Descendants of these first settlers erected this monument.  We can assume that the later descendants of those listed on the monument were the ones who contributed funds toward the erection of the monument in the early 1900s.  The monument itself is dedicated "to the men and women who settled in Newbury from 1635 to 1650 and founded its municipal, social, and religious life."