Above: (l to r) Rare documents dealer Seth Kaller, Orange County (NY) Historian Johanna Porr Yaun, website designer Marti Londal, donor Robin Sommers, historical reenactor Scott MacScott and Vice-President of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society Sergio Villavicencio pose by the statue of a young Alexander Hamilton after the unveiling ceremony in Nevis, West Indies on July 22, 2022.Below: As part of the series of unveiling events in Nevis, West Indies, Cheyney McKnight of Not Your Momma’s History, delivered a talk titled “Statues: How They Can Memorialize, Harm and Heal.Photo Credits: Foxborough Media
Nevis, West Indies – On July 22, 2022, a life-size bronze statue of the US founding father and first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton was unveiled by the Alexander Hamilton Awareness (AHA) Society and the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society (NHCS) on the grounds of the Hamilton Birthplace Museum in Charlestown, Nevis.Born on the island of Nevis (present-day St. Kitts and Nevis), circa 1755, Alexander Hamilton spent his childhood in the Caribbean, also living on Sint Eustatius and St. Croix, before emigrating to New York in 1772. This year marks the 250th anniversary of Hamilton’s journey to mainland North America.Local programming on Nevis during the week leading up to the statue’s unveiling included a discussion facilitated by Black History specialist and Manager of Living History at the New-York Historical Society, Cheyney McKnight, titled “Statues: How They Can Memorialize, Harm and Heal;” a talk and showing of original Hamilton documents by renowned collector Seth Kaller; a talk by Vice President of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society, Sergio Villavicencio, on “Alexander Hamilton: Immigrant;” a talk on how the new Hamilton statue on Nevis will affect tourism by Nevis Sun Tours CEO, Greg Bernard Phillips; and a talk about “Alexander Hamilton’s Mother and Family on Gingerland,” the locale in Nevis where Hamilton’s mother’s family resided on Nevis, by historian and author Michael E. Newton.The week concluded with the unveiling ceremony, featuring an award presentation for a local Hamilton-related student art competition sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Barbados; the reading of a new poem, “Hamilton! You Are Back!,” by past NHCS President Harvey Hendrickson; remarks by NCHS President Richard Lupinacci, the Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis, and AHA Society President Nicole Scholet; AHA Society Vice Chair Thomas Oller reading a statement from Hamilton’s fifth great-grandson Douglas Hamilton; and a vote of thanks by past Hamilton scholarship recipient, Abigaile Swanston. The statue was unveiled by the donor Robin Sommers, AHA Society Vice President Sergio Villavicencio, NHCS President Richard Lupinacci, and the Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis.The statue is named “Alexander Hamilton as a Young Man,” and is by renowned sculptor Benjamin Victor. The statue stands atop a granite base reading “Hamilton” and shows him holding a rolled-up scroll, symbolizing the knowledge and skills Alexander Hamilton gained in the Caribbean and carried with him when he emigrated to the present-day United States. The statue stands on the grounds of the Hamilton Birthplace Museum and was created to serve as an educational enhancement for the visitor experience. Five informative plaques donated by the AHA Society will also be installed on the site on the historic stone wall of the museum complex.This statue project by the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society was made possible through the generous donation of Robin Sommers. It is part of a broader project to thoughtfully install statues on each of the Caribbean islands where Alexander Hamilton lived in order to recognize and highlight his Caribbean origins.The unveiling program was made possible by the support of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society, the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society, the Nevis Island Administration, the New-York Historical Society, the St. Andrew’s Society of the State of New York, Golden Rock Inn of Nevis, Four Seasons Resort Nevis, and the Hermitage Inn.Contact: hamiltonstatue.com | Marti Londal at info@hamiltonstatue.com | Sergio Villavicencio at 929 286 8401
Nevis, West Indies – On July 22, 2022, a life-size bronze statue of the US founding father and first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton was unveiled by the Alexander Hamilton Awareness (AHA) Society and the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society (NHCS) on the grounds of the Hamilton Birthplace Museum in Charlestown, Nevis.Born on the island of Nevis (present-day St. Kitts and Nevis), circa 1755, Alexander Hamilton spent his childhood in the Caribbean, also living on Sint Eustatius and St. Croix, before emigrating to New York in 1772. This year marks the 250th anniversary of Hamilton’s journey to mainland North America.Local programming on Nevis during the week leading up to the statue’s unveiling included a discussion facilitated by Black History specialist and Manager of Living History at the New-York Historical Society, Cheyney McKnight, titled “Statues: How They Can Memorialize, Harm and Heal;” a talk and showing of original Hamilton documents by renowned collector Seth Kaller; a talk by Vice President of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society, Sergio Villavicencio, on “Alexander Hamilton: Immigrant;” a talk on how the new Hamilton statue on Nevis will affect tourism by Nevis Sun Tours CEO, Greg Bernard Phillips; and a talk about “Alexander Hamilton’s Mother and Family on Gingerland,” the locale in Nevis where Hamilton’s mother’s family resided on Nevis, by historian and author Michael E. Newton.The week concluded with the unveiling ceremony, featuring an award presentation for a local Hamilton-related student art competition sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Barbados; the reading of a new poem, “Hamilton! You Are Back!,” by past NHCS President Harvey Hendrickson; remarks by NCHS President Richard Lupinacci, the Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis, and AHA Society President Nicole Scholet; AHA Society Vice Chair Thomas Oller reading a statement from Hamilton’s fifth great-grandson Douglas Hamilton; and a vote of thanks by past Hamilton scholarship recipient, Abigaile Swanston. The statue was unveiled by the donor Robin Sommers, AHA Society Vice President Sergio Villavicencio, NHCS President Richard Lupinacci, and the Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis.The statue is named “Alexander Hamilton as a Young Man,” and is by renowned sculptor Benjamin Victor. The statue stands atop a granite base reading “Hamilton” and shows him holding a rolled-up scroll, symbolizing the knowledge and skills Alexander Hamilton gained in the Caribbean and carried with him when he emigrated to the present-day United States. The statue stands on the grounds of the Hamilton Birthplace Museum and was created to serve as an educational enhancement for the visitor experience. Five informative plaques donated by the AHA Society will also be installed on the site on the historic stone wall of the museum complex.This statue project by the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society was made possible through the generous donation of Robin Sommers. It is part of a broader project to thoughtfully install statues on each of the Caribbean islands where Alexander Hamilton lived in order to recognize and highlight his Caribbean origins.The unveiling program was made possible by the support of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society, the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society, the Nevis Island Administration, the New-York Historical Society, the St. Andrew’s Society of the State of New York, Golden Rock Inn of Nevis, Four Seasons Resort Nevis, and the Hermitage Inn.Contact: hamiltonstatue.com | Marti Londal at info@hamiltonstatue.com | Sergio Villavicencio at 929 286 8401
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