Troy, New York, meatpacker Samuel Wilson was the real “Uncle Sam.” Now the Rensselaer County Historical Society Historical and the Uncle Sam Memorial Foundation will provide a new home for a memorial. Following is a teaser from an article in the July 3, 2009 edition of the Times Union.
TROY [New York] Uncle Sam is an iconic figure known worldwide, but he hasn’t always received respect at home. In 1971, his house at 144 Ferry St. was knocked down just before it was to be featured in a television show.
And Uncle Sam’s local supporters have scrambled recently to find a new home for an exhibit at City Hall now that the local government is poised to move out of the building and into the Verizon building. After considering storefront locations, the Uncle Sam Memorial Foundation has found a partner to help promote the Uncle Sam story.
The exhibit will be going to the Rensselaer County Historical Society, said Jim Shepard, the foundation’s secretary. At the historical society building at 57 Second St., the exhibit will take on a slightly different cast. Details for the revamped exhibit are still to be worked out by the society and the foundation.
“We’re going to be adding some of our artifacts to it,” said Cindy Silkworth, the historical society’s administrator. “It’s still very much in the planning stages.”
Troy meatpacker Samuel Wilson supplied meat to the American army during the War of 1812. Barrels containing the meat were stamped with the letters U.S. They were said by soldiers to stand for “Uncle Sam,” a nickname for Wilson that would come to represent the United States. The first personification of the national symbol dates to the 1850s. In 1961, Congress recognized Wilson as the inspiration for Uncle Sam.
Read the full article by Kenneth C. Crowe II in the July 3, 2009 edition of the Times Union.
Thanks to Pat Morrow for the heads-up on this one.
