'It represents the very core of our history'
In Gloucester, where families have lost thousands of fishermen, plan for coin inspired by memorial stirs proud hearts
For 83 years, the Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial has towered over the city's main boulevard. Fishermen and their families consider it a holy place, and the bronze statue - which depicts a fisherman holding a boat's wheel out at sea - is a magnet for tourists and locals. Even Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes shed tears when he saw the memorial, and its inscription inspired by the 107th Psalm, "They that go down to the sea in ships."
Massachusetts residents also feel the memorial has deep meaning. Last month, citizens voted overwhelmingly online to recommend a depiction of the memorial be minted on the back of a US quarter. The memorial - known by locals as the Man at the Wheel - received more than 100,000 votes, and bested sites such as the Lowell National Historic Park, the House of the Seven Gables in Salem, and the USS Constitution.
"This is an honor and to all of the fishermen," said Grace Favazza. Favazza's brother, Vito Misuraca, was lost at sea on Sept. 8, 1978. Favazza frequently spends time at the memorial and considers it a sacred area.
"I just think it's wonderful," added Sandra Sinagra who launched an e-mail campaign to garner votes for the memorial. Sinagra said the memorial - adjacent to a cenotaph that lists the names of thousands of Gloucester fishermen who have gone down with their boats at sea - brings her a sense of solace. In 1978, her father, Carlo Sinagra, and two other crewmen were lost at sea. Sinagra often visits the memorial and finds her father's name on the cenotaph.
Final approval for the minting project is expected to come in September, when the government will announce all of the sites slated for the quarter. The program will run from 2010 to 2021, when the United States will mint quarters with images depicting nationally recognized sites from all 50 states.
"That statue is a reflection of the character of Gloucester and the resilience of the community," said Mayor Carolyn Kirk. "I think everyone and every family has felt a sense of loss."
For nearly 400 years, fishing has been the lifeblood of this community - making it America's oldest active seaport. Fishermen - who originally took to the seas in sloops and later in schooners and modern day trawlers - focused primarily on bottom-dwelling fish such as cod, haddock, and flounder, traveling as far as the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Along the way, the profession proved to be one of the most deadly, with more than 5,000 lost at sea.
Thousands of Gloucester fishermen had already perished by the time the city marked its 300th anniversary in 1923. The palpable loss led city officials to erect a statue along Stacy Boulevard in the memory of lost fishermen, and the group chose English-born sculptor Leonard Craske to cast the memorial.
On Aug. 23, 1925, 5,000 people gathered for the dedication of the memorial. Cast at a Providence foundry, Craske's 8-foot bronze statue was placed upon a granite base that included a copper box time capsule containing 47 items such as photographs, coins, and a historical report detailing a 1775 Revolutionary War battle in Gloucester Harbor.
Bands played and dignitaries talked of lost helmsmen, recited poetry by Longfellow, and joined onlookers in scattering thousands of flowers into the ocean. As the flowers drifted at sea, George Russell, a Gloucester minister, spoke, "In memory of all the seamen, who, through all of the years have found a last resting place in the waters that wash every shore."
The memorial tapped into the emotions of thousands of Americans who traveled long distances each year to see the bronze fisherman, dressed in oilskins gripping the wheel. The city also embraced the icon: Gloucester sports teams were dubbed the Fighting Fishermen, and the high school still uses the emblem on its yearbook.
Locals recognized the statue's international draw when they briefly considered bringing the memorial to New York for the 1964 World's Fair. Filmmakers also were drawn to the memorial: A replica of it was used in "Captains Courageous," and the real thing was seen in the opening frames of "The Perfect Storm."
John Ronan Jr., Gloucester's poet laureate, believes people visit the statue because it has a universal message.
"I think it's more than a symbol of Gloucester. It's a national symbol of strength and American courage," said Ronan, who uses the icon on his website.
"It's a noble statue," said Gloucester historian Joe Garland. "It represents the very core of our history: We're the first great fishing port in the Wesern Hemisphere and we're still fishing out here."
Russell Sherman first visited the statue almost 40 years ago when he was a student at Harvard College. After he graduated in 1971, he moved to Gloucester and has been fishing ever since.
Sherman loves the statue but was critical of the government's role in creating federal regulations limiting fishing. He says those restrictions have nearly crippled the local fishing industry.
"I think it's a wonderful tribute, but it's almost like putting a tombstone out right now with the way things are going," he said.
On a recent afternoon, tourists and locals braved the chill and winds to photograph the statue.
Aska Imagawa, visiting from Tokyo, snapped several photos. "He is very proud, and brave," she said.
Sandra Kaplan, who has lived in Gloucester since 1956, walked along the boulevard before pausing at the memorial. She said the statue symbolizes the character of the city - and also helps define it.
Said Kaplan, "There's community, there's struggle; there's strength and hard work in the statue."
Steven Rosenberg can be reached at srosenberg@globe.com. 