The General Draper Statue

General Draper Statue 55 Years Old

By Peter Hackett

Fifty-five years ago a most eminent man in Hopedale and Milford history was memorialized at Milford’s Draper Park, Wednesday, September 25, 1912, amidst the greatest display of pomp and ceremony the town had ever witnessed.

In its headlines, the Milford Daily News called it a Great Day. And great day indeed it was. Trains, trolley cars, teams and even autos, were busy bringing visitors from all the owns around, to say nothing of the many dignitaries who came from Boston and Washington, D.C.

Ten thousand persons were on hand to witness the great event – the unveiling of the beautiful and impressive equestrian statue of General William Franklin Draper. Quoting from one of the press reports, we read:

 “It was the hand of Miss Margaret Preston Draper, the daughter of General and Mrs. Draper, which drew aside the silken screen or red, white and blue, and then for a full second there was a tense stillness as the gray-haired veterans (G.A.R. – Grand Army of the Republic) looked upon the familiar features of their well-loved commander and comrade and the rest of the immense throng stood as if transfixed by the spectacle. And then as the strains of ‘Hail to the Chief’ rang out from the band, there echoed a cheer that could be heard for miles and which continued for a full minute while the music played on.”

The Order of Exercises was as follows: Wendell Williams, Esq., Presiding; Music, Grand March, Tannhauser by the Cadet Band; Presentation of Statue and Park to Town of Milford, on behalf of Mrs. Draper by Wendell Williams, Esq.

Acceptance for the Town by Selectman James h. Reynolds; Music, Pilgrim Chorus, Tannhauser, by the band; Prayer by Rev. Dr. F.A. Warfield.

Unveiling of the Statue by Miss Margaret Preston Draper; Music, “Hail to the Chief,” by the band; Salute, by Battery B, Field Artillery; Address, by Hon. Samuel W. McCall; and Star-Spangled Banner.

In accordance with military practice the salute by Battery B of Worcester was the Brigadier-General’s salute of eleven guns.”

The oration of Congressman McCall eulogized General Draper as a great soldier and statesman, whose memory the statue was destined to perpetuate for all time.

As the exercises were brought to a close all present joined in the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.

Following are some sidelights on the new historic occasion: The statue was the work of America’s foremost sculptor, Daniel Chester French.

Shortly after the General died in 1910, Mrs. Draper decided to erect a monument to his memory. Where to place it became a question. The plot of land, now Draper Park, seemed to her an ideal spot, but it was owned by the Congregational Church. Making her wishes known to the church, it gladly agreed to sell the plot at the price she offered, $10,000.

It should be noted, therefore, that when Wendell Williams, Esq., on behalf of Mrs. Draper, presented the monument to the town he also, at the same time, presented the Park to the town.

Besides the inscriptions on the pedestal of the monument shown the battles in which the General fought, one reads; Presented to the town of Milford by his wife, Mrs. Susan Preston Draper.

Milford, as well as Hopedale, has been the recipient of many generous gifts from the Draper families, Milford Hospital being a notable example. Many gifts have been received from Princess Margaret Boncompagni, daughter of the general, several of which were applied to the care and landscaping of Draper Park.

Aside from the ceremonies of unveiling the monument, the feature that made it a “Great Day” was the huge military parade. Many local, state and national units were represented.

In one case, a noted incident was the appearance of an entire regiment. Fifty years ago there were still many Civil War veterans living and these were represented by G.A. R. posts from all the towns around.

Complementing the soldiers were many sailors from naval vessels doing duty in New England waters. Beside the military and naval units, there were large delegations of statesmen and businessmen formerly associated with the General.

Since the soldiers and sailors, and many others, came by train the depot area was chosen as the assembly and beginning point for the parade. Meanwhile, the streets, stores and buildings were holiday dressed in flags, bunting and ribbons.

Up Central Street went the parade, on up Exchange to Congress, then right to Spruce, where the local G.A.R. veterans joined the line. From here the parade continued to School Street, then to Pearl to Main Street and so to the Park.

On this particular occasion- the 55th anniversary of unveiling the equestrian statue of General William Franklin Draper – we echo the eleven gun salute made to his memorym on that “Great Day” by the Battery B Field Artillery of Worcester. Milford Daily News, 1967.

In 1912, when I was seven, my father took our family to the dedication of the General Draper statue in Milford.  We lived in Mendon at that time, and my father worked at a second-hand shop in Milford.  He took us there in a horse-drawn wagon called a democrat.  A democrat had a seat in the front for the driver and removable seats in the back that slid in and out on a metal track.  He parked the horse and wagon on South Bow Street and we walked to the Draper Park.  The general’s daughter, Margaret, was all dressed up.  This was a few years before she became Princess Boncompagni.  She pulled a rope to unveil the statue but the covering didn’t come down as easily as it was supposed to.  They had to work at it a bit to get it down. Hester Chilson, 2004.

General Draper Park Statue 50 Years Old

by Gerry Gawalt
 Daily News Staff  

The coming of 1962 in just two months, will mark the 50th anniversary of the erection and dedication of Draper Park and the impressive statue of General William Franklin Draper, located in the heart of Milford business district.  Both the park and the statue were presented to the town by his late wife, Susan Preston Draper, in 1912.

The upkeep of the statue and park is provided for by Madame Boncompagni of France.  She pays $1000 for the salary of the caretaker and all other bills are sent to her lawyer.

General in the U.S. Army-Ambassador to Italy-Member of Congress William Franklin Draper was born April 9, 1842 in Lowell, the eldest child of Mr. and Mrs. George Draper.  His mother was the former Hannah Thwing.

Leaving school in his early teens, he spent several years working in various mills throughout New England.

At the age of 19, William Draper enlisted in the 25th Massachusetts Regiment at the Milford enlistment headquarters.

Before he attained his 23rd birthday he had commanded a brigade upon several occasions.  During the Civil War he saw active service in nearly all southern states.

General Draper worked his way “up through the ranks” until he commanded the 36^th Massachusetts Regiment.  He served as a signal officer for General Burnside in his North Carolina campaign.  He also took part in the Maryland and Fredricksburg campaigns and in the Kentucky endeavor.  He served under General Grant in the siege of Vicksburg and the Jackson campaign along the Mississippi.  In 1863 he worked through East Tennessee and into the siege of Knoxville.

General Draper was seriously injured during the Battle of the Wilderness when he was shot through the body.  Later he returned and commanded a brigade at the Weldon Railroad engagement.

Other battles he engaged in were Strawberry Plains, Pegram Farm, Petersburg, Roanoke Island, New Berne, Blue Springs and Campbell’s Station.

He retired from the army soon after the completion of the war and returned to Hopedale where he entered in business with his father, the late George Draper.

A man of many talents, General Draper became head of George Draper and Sons, Co. in 1897 and became head of Draper Corp. in 1896 when it was incorporated. [Several other sources give 1916 as the date when Draper Company became Draper
Corporation.]

During the period of 1887 to 1893, he added many inventions to his long list of achievements.  Most of these were connected with the machines manufactured by the Draper Corp.

Although active politically and very influential, William Draper never held a political office during this period.

However in 1893 he was elected to Congress, where he served two terms for four years until 1897

Then in 1897 he was appointed Ambassador to Italy by President William McKinley. At this time there were only four ambassadors to European countries: England, France, Germany and Italy.

Draper continued as the head of Draper Corp. until December of 1907 when he retired. (Draper family feud.)

He spent the next three years traveling about the world and entertaining his many friends.  He died Jan. 28, 1910 at the age of 68.

 This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Civil War and the 100th anniversary of General Draper’s enlistment in the U.S. Army.

His statue in Draper Park is a fitting tribute to a self-made man. Milford Daily News, November 4, 1961.

    Celebrating the Statue’s Centennial   

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