Jackson's Head, Dry Dock 1

A president's head, a thunderstorm, and no law against it.

Collection: Boston: More Stories · USA · Open in OpenStreetMap

How the story begins

A wooden mouth and chin spent 176 years apart from the rest of their head. They belonged to a ten-foot Andrew Jackson. In 1834 Jesse Elliott, commandant of this navy yard, hired a carver to make a figurehead of the president for USS Constitution, which was then in this dry dock. Jackson had lost favor in Boston after vetoing the national bank. A call went out to save the ship from "foul disgrace."

The rest is in the app. Peplos plays the full story when you reach the place. You can also listen ahead of time.

Visiting

Dry Dock 1, Charlestown Navy Yard, part of Boston National Historical Park. The yard's grounds are open and free at all hours. The USS Constitution Museum nearby has shown the wooden mouth and an 1834 plaster cast: check before you go. The figurehead and original head are at the Museum of the City of New York.

Sources

• USS Constitution Museum, Off With His Head (2015)
• Museum of the City of New York, The Beheading of President Andrew Jackson
• History News Network, President's Features Reunited After 176 Years (2010)
• Wikipedia, USS Constitution
• National Park Service, Charlestown Navy Yard

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