The Monumental Presence of Portuguese Americans

Commemorating Portuguese Achievements in New England

Portuguese American women on an art installation in Provincetown harbor. The installation, named “They Also Faced the Sea,” honors the role of Portuguese American women with giant photographs of Eva Silva, Mary Jason, Bea Cabral, Frances Raymond, and Almeda Segura. The black and white photographs were taken by photographer Norma Holt in collaboration with artist Ewa Nogiec. (Mrs. Segura’s photo, which was second from left, was destroyed in a storm.) Photo by the author.

Welcome back as we wander in an urban ethnic landscape — maybe even getting lost — as we learn about a different culture, that of Portuguese Americans in southeastern New England.

So — signs, symbols and stones (monuments). Today we’ll look at some monuments in and around the two cities that are home to most Portuguese Americans in the area: Fall River and New Bedford, Massachusetts (map at the bottom of this post).

Monument to Prince Henry the Navigator in Fall River, Mass. Photo by the author.

The first monument of substantial size and prominence in the Portuguese American communities of southeastern New England was a monument to Prince Henry the Navigator unveiled in Fall River in 1940. The monument at the intersection of Eastern Avenue and Pleasant Street was erected to coincide with the 800th anniversary of the founding of Portugal in 1140 and also with the 1940 Portuguese World’s Fair.

It took a while, but not to be outdone, New Bedford, just 15 miles (24 km) to the east, dedicated its own monument to Prince Henry in 1996. Both statues sit within a compass rose and both are surrounded by a pattern of wavy…