USS MAINE:
Her Many Last Resting Places

By Patrick McSherry (with the help of many contributors!)

Please Visit our Home Page to learn more about the Spanish American War

Though the USS MAINE was sent to a watery grave in February of 1898,  She has lived on through the many artifacts that were recovered and given to towns, cities and organizations across the country

We encourage our readers to send us information on pieces of the USS MAINE that they come across in their travels. We will try to rebuild her, in a figurative sense, on this webpage! She is said to be the largest U.S. Navy vessel, since her masts are now tens of miles apart. Let's see how big she really is!

Relics of the USS MAINE and where they reside today:

Mainmast - Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.
Foremast - Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD.
Bow Anchor - Reading, PA.
Another Anchor - Arlington National Cemetery
Anchor - Gloucester House Restaurant, Rogers Street, Gloucerster, MA
Anchor Chain Hooks - Newton City Hall, Newton, MA
Bowscroll - Bangor, Maine
Stern scrollwork nameplate - Smithsonian Institute, Museum of American History
    Washington. DC
Conning Tower Base - Canton, Ohio
Capstan - Battery Park -Charleston, SC.
Capstan - Silver Bow County Courthouse, Butte, Montana.
6 in. 30 caliber deck gun - Navy Historical Center, Washington (DC) Navy Yard
6 in. gun -Alpena, Michigan
6 in. gun (barrel only), monument at Munjoy Hill, Portland, Maine
6 in. gun mount - VFW facility in Chattanooga, TN
Six-pounder gun - South Carolina Statehouse, Columbia, South Carolina
One -pounder gun - Milford town park, Milford, Maine
Spare propeller - Navy Historical Center, Washington (DC) Navy Yard
Pivot gun and winch - Navy Historical Center Washington (DC) Navy Yard
10" guns (one pair) - Havana, Cuba
10" Turret Sighting Hood - Mallory Square, Key West, FL
Torpedo Tube, Pittsburgh, PA
Torpedo Port -  Lakeside Park in Oakland, California
Ventilator Cowl - Woburn Massachussetts
Ventilator Cowl - Rock Island, Illinois
Ventilator Cowl - Los Angeles, California
Ship's silver service, Blaine House - Augusta Maine
Steam Whistle - Larchmont, New York
Maine's Engine Room Funnel, Pompton Lakes, NJ, (in park on Hamburg Turnpike)
Deck plate key from the wreck of Battleship MAINE - Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Spiegel Grove, Fremont, OH
2 Capstan gears - Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Spiegel Grove, Fremont, OH
Capstan - Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Spiegel Grove, Fremont, OH
Worm Gear - Sacramento City Cemetery, Sacramento, CA
Portholes (2) - Nay Aug Park in Scranton, PA
10 inch shell - Nay Aug Park in Scranton, PA
10 inch shell - Port Chesters, NY
Projectile, Monument at County Courthouse in Easton, PA
Bolt, Museum of History, Raleigh, NC
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Buchanan Park, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - City Hall, Dover, New Hampshire
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Irvine Park, Orange Co., CA (Plaque #743)
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Sacramento City Cemetery, Sacramento, CA
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Linn Grove Cemetery, Greeley, CO
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Vermilion County War Museum, 307 N. Vermilion Street, Danville, Illinois
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Post office, Red Oak Iowa (west face of the building).
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - city park by University Lakes, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - 3 in hands of MAINE survivor family members, Otter Creek, Maine
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Bangor Public Library, Bangor, Maine
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Bangor Historical Society, Bangor, Maine
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Maryland War Memorial, Baltimore, MD
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - LaFayette Square, Gardner, Massachusetts (click here for
    more information on this park and its monument)
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Alpena, Michigan
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Sanford Springvale Historical Society, Sanford, Maine
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Haldane High School, Cold Spring, New York
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - In small park on the corner of Pine Avenue and Portage Road in Niagara Falls, NY (GPS: 43 degrees,
   5' 40.81" N; 79 degrees, 2', 55.23" W)
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Oyster Bay, New York
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Queens, New York, in park north of Hillside Ave at approx. 164th St.
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Dayton VA Medical Center, dayton, OH - Across Street from military museum
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Governor's Troop Monument at the former Camp Hastings
   Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania,
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Gridley Park, Liberty and West 6th Streets, Erie, Pennsylvania
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - USS OLYMPIA, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Monument at 4th St. and Rt 462, Wrightsville, Pennsylvania
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Berea, Ohio.
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - Elyria, Ohio.
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - owned by descendent of Lucien Heneberger, USS MAINE, Virginia
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - private collection in Walla Walla, Washington
Bronze Plaque made from the vessel - park near Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington
Bronze plaques on the Daniel Boone Expedition Monument, Hillsborough, North Carolina
Captain Sigsbee's bathtub from the Maine (link) - Hancock Historical Museum in
    Ohio.
The 1901 Maine commemorative bells (and you can even ring one!)
The 1904 Maine commemorative bells
Key fob made from metal from the MAINE
Clock made from metal from the MAINE (private collection)
Maine's Union Jack - Hampton Roads Museum, Virginia
Part of the forward guy of the starboard quarter boat davits - Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Spiegel Grove, Fremont, OH
Piece of worm drive, recovered from wreck of Battleship MAINE - Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Spiegel Grove, Fremont, OH
The book-shaped paperweights made from brass from the wreck of the MAINE - Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Spiegel Grove, Fremont, OH
Belt buckle made from brass from the wreck of Battleship MAINE - Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Spiegel Grove, Fremont, OH
Metal fragment from brass from the wreck of Battleship MAINE - Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Spiegel Grove, Fremont, OH
Life Preserver - Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, MD
Port Hole Covers (two) - Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, MD
Log Glass  - Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, MD
Keys to the Magazines  - Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, MD
Electric Light Bulb and Shade - Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, MD
Bugle - Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, MD
Iron hooks - Miami Valley Military history Museum, Dayton, OH
1888 Penny from Sigsbee's desk - Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, MD
Sigsbee's ink well - Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, MD
Sigsbee's binoculars - Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, MD
1895 Lee Rifle - Private Collection 
1895 Lee Rifle (another one!) - Private Collection
Baton made from parts of the MAINE
Small bronze ingot made from metal of the MAINE (see image at top of this page) - Private
    collection in Lancaster, PA

 

This is a remarkable piece. It is the bowscroll of the USS MAINE which is in Davenport Park, which is on the corner of Main Street and Cedar Street a park in Bangor Maine. (Al Ross originally told us about this, and sent photos. The scroll was cleaned and refurbished during the centennial, and Peter Zelz sent us these photos of it in its refurbished state. The photos were taken by James Carlisle).

This is the  base of the USS MAINE's conning tower. It was located in Canton, Ohio's Waterworks Park. After extensive efforts and $30,000, the piece was cleaned up, a new base constructed and the monument was relocated to Canton's Westbrook Veterans Memorial Park (Rt. 177 at the corner of Harrison Ave. and 13th St., NW). The monument weighs 50,000 pounds! A French cannon and Spanish mortar taken by Dewey are located nearby in Stark County Veterans Memorial. (The photos and images are courtesy of Doug Perry, Canton Park Director).

Here we have the USS MAINE's ventilator cowl, now located in Woburn, MA. It is located inthe small, triangle-shaped park in the heart of downtown Woburn, where Rt. 38 (Main St) and Pleasant St intersect (Info. and photo courtesy of Tony Lewtas).


Another piece of interest is the USS MAINE's steam whistle. This piece now resides at the Larchmont Yacht Club, Larchmont, NY. The whistle was obtained by the club scarcely three months after the ship's loss though the Merritt salvage company (photo and info.courtesy of Larchmont Yacht Club).

 

This plaque from Lancaster, Pennsylvania (left) is one of many plaques made from bronze from the Battleship MAINE. Each of the plaques weighs eight pounds, with one thousand plaques  reportedly being cast. Each measures 12.5" x 18". The image was designed for the U.S. Government by the famous sculptor, Charles Keck who died on April 23, 1951, and cast in New York by Williams Foundry. The plaque reads, "This Tablet Is Cast From Metal Recovered From The U.S.S. Maine." After the MAINE was originally sunk in 1898, it rested in the middle of Havana Harbor with one of its masts still visible above the water line. In 1913 it was raised and much of the metal was removed with most being used for souvenirs. The ship was then sent further out to sea for a fitting funeral. Plaques can be seen in a variety of places throughout the country.

Each plaque is numbered and stamped on the reverse. An example of the inscription is shown above (right). This example is from the plaque in Irvine Park, Orange County, Caliornia. The hole for the bolt to hold the plaque in place was drilled through the sculptor's first name. The inscription provides the plaque unit number and reads:

"CHARLES KECK, SCULPTOR
CAST BY
JNO. WILLIAMS, INC.
BRONZE FOUNDRY
NEW YORK
1913"


For more MAINE artifacts, click here!

Bibliography:

(As a service to our readers, clicking on title in red will take you to that book on Amazon.com)

Arseneau, Dale and Kay, Oscoda, Michigan, (6 in. gun and plaque in Alpena, Michigan)

Auger, Paul - (Info. on plaque at Sanford, MA)

Bannerman, Francis, "Catalogue of Military Goods", New York, 1903.

Batha, Tom - Info. and images of the 6 inch gun mount in Chattanooga, TN

Blow, Michael, A Ship to Remember , (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1992).

Brooks, Ken, image of the MAINE's foremast.

Bugajsky, Charles - Info. on the worm gear and MAINE plaque in Sacramento City Cemetery, Sacramento, CA, and the plaque in Wrightsville, PA

Cashman, Richard (information on MAINE plaques)

Charter, C. J., (Info. on plaque at Gardner, MA)

Conner, Robert - images of the 6 inch gun and spare propeller blade at the Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC; MAINE plaque in Queens, NY

Conrad, Mark - Info. on the MAINE plaque at the Dayton VA Medical Center, Dayton, OH and the hooks at the Miami Valley Military History Museum.

Cook, William - Info. on Maine Plaques in Bangor Public Library and Bangor Historical Society; 6-pounder in Portland, Maine, and one-pounder in Milford, Maine

Etter, Robert L. Etter Major USAF, Retired - MAINE's torpedo tube in Pittsburgh, PA

Fullerton, Herschel - Info. on MAINE plaque

Hart, Bill - Info. on MAINE plaque at Red Oak, Iowa

Hill, Greg - Info. on a baton made from the MAINE

Humes, Tim (info. on plaque at Seattle, Washington)

LaBarre, John Info. and photos concerning the 10" shell at Port Chester, NY

Lonsdale, Raymond - MAINE plaque in Niagara Falls, NY

Lovelace, Rev. Creighton, Info. on the bolt in the Museum of History, Raleigh, NC

Manzano, Mike (Info. on items in Nay Aug Park, Scranton, PA

Meyer, Eugene L., "The Maine Event," Washington Post, 1998. (Click here for a link to the article).

McMahon-Tronetti, Caillean (MAINE plaque in Erie, PA)

Molloy, Don (info. on capstan in Silver Butte County Courthouse, Butte, MT)

Parks, Terry - Info. on the MAINE plaque in Irvine Park, CA, and the image of the inscription on the back of the plaque.

Putnam, Arnold - Info. on the 6" gun tube on Munjoy Hill, Portland, Maine

Ripley, Warren, "The Battery", Charleston, SC: Evening Post Publishing Co., 1977.

Robison, Kenneth H., II - Info. and photo of the 6 pounder gun at the South Carolina Statehouse, Columbia, SC, and the capstan at the Battery, in Charleston, SC

Ruth, Christine Etherton - Info. on the MAINE plaque in Linn Grove Cemetery, Greeley, Colorado

Ryde,Tom  - MAINE plaque at Dover, NH

Ryen, Kjetil  M.Sc EE, Norway, image of the MAINE's Rudder

Sargent, John (Info. on anchor chain hooks)

Seltzer, Jim (MAINE plaque at Mount Gretna, PA)

Smith, Ken - Artifacts at Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Spiegel Grove, Fremont, OH

http://www.mpbc.org/TV/Shows/USSMaine/ussmaineinfo.html (info. on silver service and Portland, Maine gun)

Yaglijian, Harry S. - Gun Port in Oakland, California

Young, Kevin R. (info. on the Danville, Illinois MAINE plaque)

Wade, James (info. on plaque at Baton Rouge)

Wallin, Richard  (info. on plaque at Haldane High School, Cold Spring, New York)

Whitt, Richard - Info and photo of 10" sighting hood at Key West

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