“Eternal Watch” at Hampton Beach

The ocean at Hampton Beach is beautiful as it glitters under the sun. Gazing lovingly at the seashore is the granite sculpture of a “Gold Star Mother” in remembrance of the brave New Hampshire sons and daughters who lost their lives at sea.

This sculpture was designed by New Hampshire artist Alice Ericson Cosgrove from Concord. She studied art at the school of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1925 with Philip Leslie Hale.

According to the history of the memorial, written by Reg Abbott, the sculpture was made possible by the collaborative efforts of several artists. Cosgrove created a scale model which was used by a Massachusetts sculptor, Teodors Uzarins, to model a life-size statue in clay at the Caproni Galleries in Boston. A 24-ton granite block was cut at Swenson’s Granite Quarries in Concord. Then, the block was shipped to Barre, Vermont, for shaping by the Italian artisan, Vincenzo Andreani of Marr and Gordon, Inc., Granite Works, using a plaster cast of the lady for point-by-point measurements.

The New Hampshire Marine Memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1957.

Cosgrove designed many other works of art for the state of New Hampshire, including a postage stamp featuring the Old Man of the Mountain and the Chippa Granite cartoon character to promote New Hampshire tourism and agriculture, according to the NH Historical Society.

Cosgrove died on December 7, 1971, but her works live on.

From a distance the beach is empty, but “The Gold Star Mother” is still watching over the lost heroes of New Hampshire.

Discovering art can be a free, fun, family experience. See how great art can inspire you and your children. For the price of a tank of gas, art lovers don’t have to drive far to experience something meaningful.