Nathan Hale Statue - Hartford, CT

It’s a heroic pose, but what is most arresting about statues of Nathan Hale is the appearance of his extreme youth. He was 21 years old when he was hanged as an American spy by the British in September of 1776.

We mark tomorrow’s annual celebration of Independence Day here in the US with a look at this statue which stands in front of the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut. It was designed by Enoch Woods Smith, commissioned by James J. Goodwin, who gifted it to the museum in 1892. We took at look at Nathan Hale’s homestead in Coventry, Connecticut back in October.

For more on the life of this extraordinary, and very young, Revolutionary War hero, have a look at this website.