Katharine Lee Bates Statue

Katharine Lee Bates Statue WWP

Photo credit - Wikimedia

At the public library at her native Falmouth stands a life-size bronze statue of Katharine Lee Bates, a poet, author, and professor of English literature. It was created by Lloyd Lillie and inaugurated in 1986. It depicts Bates as she gazes from the summit of Pikes Peak, looking over the Rockies and Great Plains.

Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929) was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and lived there until age 11. After attending Wellesley College, she taught high school English for a few years. In 1889, at 30, Bates published her first novel, Rose and Thorn, for which she was awarded a prize by the Congregational Sunday School and Publishing Society. The prize money allowed her to travel to England and study for an MA degree from Oxford University. Upon returning to the US, Bates was appointed a full professor of English Literature at Wellesley, teaching there for 40 years. At Wellesley, she shared a living with her friend and companion, Katharine Coman, in an arrangement called Boston Marriage. Some scholars believe they had a romantic relationship.

She continued to write and publish dozens of poems, essays, travel books, and children’s stories. In addition to her career, she was a noted speaker and activist, promoting social rights for women, people of color, and immigrants.

In the summer of 1893, while teaching at the Colorado Summer School at Colorado College, she went on a trip to Pikes Peak. The view she saw inspired her to write the lyrics of her most famous poem, America the Beautiful. The Congregationalist journal published the poem with the title America on July 4th, 1895. Through the years, it underwent several revisions till it reached its final form in 1912. More than 70 melodies were composed to match the lyrics, and in 1910, it paired with the hymn Samuel A. Ward’s “Materna” (1882). This combination made it one of the most popular patriotic songs in the US.

She passed away in Wellesley, Massachusetts, on March 28th, 1929, and lies in Oak Grove Cemetery at Falmouth.

Katharine Lee Bates Gravesite & Statue // Falmouth, MA

March 31, 2022
Katharine Lee Bates Gravesite & Statue // Falmouth, MA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Lee_Bates
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1579/katharine-lee-bates

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Falmouth Public Library in Massachusetts



Katharine Lee Bates Gravesite & Statue // Falmouth, MA

March 31, 2022
Katharine Lee Bates Gravesite & Statue // Falmouth, MA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Lee_Bates
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1579/katharine-lee-bates

If you enjoy our videos, please consider buying us a coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/NorthernReturn

*New Videos Every MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, and FRIDAY!

More Videos from The Northern Return
Bridge of Flowers // Shelburne Falls, MA https://youtu.be/IX1AhpxyxWY
Madame Sherri's Castle // Chesterfield, NH https://youtu.be/JBHrqdJV1p0
Brattleboro Area Farmers' Market // Brattleboro, VT https://youtu.be/gyrQFGGo4-8
Sunset at the Cape Cod Canal // Bourne, MA https://youtu.be/p2IoYyVW6Lc
Beavertail Lighthouse // Jamestown, RI https://youtu.be/Sj0s-E_ylLI

Thanks For Watching & Please Subscribe For More!
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheNorthernReturn/

#CinematicTravel #AmericanHistory #Gravesite #CapeCod #NewEngland
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