John Mason: Windsor's Controversial Founding Father

Despite having grown slightly green with rust, John Mason, most commonly referred to as the “Major,” still stands proudly over the center of Palisado Green in Windsor's historic district. Cast in bronze, his immortal gaze stares out strongly over the green. Underneath, a plaque commemorates his achievements in colonial history: founder of Windsor, Old Saybrook and Norwich. He also served as Connecticut's first chief military officer. But what do these titles truly encompass?

Surprisingly, the plaque concludes its survey with a brief history of the statue and not of the man: “This monument erected at Mystic in 1889 by the State of Connecticut/Relocated in 1996 to Respect a Sacred Site of the 1637 Pequot War.” Mysteriously, the plaque's engraving ends here without any explanation as to what the Pequot War, or Mason's involvement with it, was.

In 1889, Thomas S. Collier was a historian living in New Haven. He was commissioned by the state to compile a book of tribute to John Mason, the "Major's" exploits and to commemorate the erection of his statue, which now presides over Palisado Green. This book, which wound up being named The John Mason Statue, was part of a larger USA Centennial Celebration that spanned nearly fifteen years following 1876. In it, Collier is quick to point out the relevancy of Mason's exploits from 1630 until his death in 1672.

“It is a curious fact in our history that an example of Mason's leadership set off a chain of events so pregnant with results, so heroic in execution and so beneficial to the colonists... should so long have remained without a memorial... the fact is that this (the statue) was no unimportant affair, but one replete with significance.” What Thomas Collier transcribes next has little relevancy to what is inscribed underneath the statue today.

Instead, he focuses solely on Mason's involvement as Connecticut's chief military deputy during the Pequot War. Collier writes that Mason led an expedition of soldiers from Connecticut's earliest towns, namely Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield, downriver to engage in war with the Pequot tribe. According to Collier, this expedition consisted of 90 men. This small force fought nearly 1000 Pequots on top of Pequot hill. In fact, the statue of Mason, featuring this inscription, was placed directly on the battle site. Yet Collier's written word is rapt with inaccuracies and misgivings. Indeed, the original plaque that commemorated Mason's statue mentions only this battle:

By the State of Connecticut to commemorate the Heroic achievement of Major John Mason and his comrades: Who near this Sect. In 1637 Overthrew the Pequot Indians and Preserved the settlements from destruction.

Mason's significant contribution as founder of several Connecticut towns is no where to be found on the original statue, or in Collier's written work. On the surface though, this certainly seems to be quite a heroic deed that deserves recognition.

Unfortunately, Mason's legend seems to be intensified for what Collier left out. In a book written by William Haynes a few decades later, it is pointed out that Mason's troops were nearly three times the size. Connecticut's first organized army were aided by 100 Mohegan warriors led by their chief, Unca. Mason's forces were bolstered once again by a large group of Narrangansett natives before arriving at Pequot Hill. Both of these tribes had been at war with the Pequots long before European colonialists had taken an interest in the Connecticut area. More so, Mason's forces had only engaged in light skirmishing. Instead, Mason had ordered a large Pequot settlement ablaze in the dead of night. This fire killed nearly 700 Pequot men, women and children.

Fast forward a few decades and John Mason's legacy faced even harsher criticism linked directly with the statue erected in Mystic. In the 1980's, a small group of Pequot natives sought to have the statue of Mason removed on the grounds that it stood on “sacred ground”. Featured in the article “Reversals of Fortune: Searching for Ghosts in the Land of the Casinos”, author Joel Lang interviewed Joey Carter. Carter, a tribal historian, had harsh criticism for Mason, saying that his involvement with the Pequot War had begun a “genocide march through ten villages” that culminated in the near-eradication of the Pequot people. This first attempt for removal proved unsuccessful.

Less than a decade later, a second attempt to have Mason's bronze embodiment removed proved more successful. In the Hartford Courant article “Hero Falling from Pedestal,” Strat Douthat recorded that Lone Wolf Jackson, another member of the Pequot tribe, drove a petition to have the statue removed from Mystic. His reasoning was one of compromise. Based on the premise that “History was written by the Europeans... they convinced the general public that the Indians were bad people and that in order to survive they had to wipe us out,” Jackson sought historic objectivity for the classic image of Mason. Jackson's original plan called for the statue to be moved to the Pequot Museum at Foxwoods. He wished for Mason to be displayed there as a focal point in an objective display that would document his heroic and destructive involvement with the Pequot War.

Yet detractors argued that Mason's image would be tarnished, and his work as a statesman would be forgotten. In February of 1995, Marcus Mason Maronn wrote to the Department of Environmental Protection, the agency charged with oversight of Pequot Hill and the Mason statue. Marcus, also a descendant of the state's first military officer, explained his position that “there is so much more to the career and life of John Mason, as well as the rest of our history.” He argued that Mason's statue should be relocated to highlight those achievements.

Robert Silliman, president of the Windsor Historical Society, offered Palisado Green as an alternative to have the statue moved to. He once commented to the Hartford Courant that Windsor “look(s) at John mason as a founder of Windsor.” He insisted that this move offered a location that was still historically significant to Mason's exploits as a statesman but is not deemed as controversial as “sacred ground.”

Only a few days later, the CT Department of Environmental Protection announced their agreement. In a general newsletter, the DEP announced that “Palisado Green in Windsor was selected as the most appropriate site to retain the identity of John Mason's involvement in the Connecticut colony.” Today, you can still find Mason's strong gaze staring out over land that can be seen from his original homestead, the location of Connecticut's first town, and Mason's first achievement.

This article was written utilizing resources provided by The Windsor Historical Society. The Windsor Historical Society staff was not involved in the fact checking process of this article. Any opinions within this column do not reflect the viewpoints of The Windsor Historical Society or its staff. You can visit the Windsor Historical Society at www.WindsorHistoricalSocety.org.