The World's First Newsboy Monument
Near Great Barrington, Massachusetts
On the edge of the village center stands a curious bronze figure, a young boy in a cap, jacket, and long socks, a bundle of newspapers under his arm. This is the Newsboy Monument, dedicated in eighteen ninety five, and it is said to be the first monument in the world honoring the newspaper delivery boy. It was the gift of Colonel William Brown, a former teacher, politician, and newspaper owner who summered in Great Barrington and wanted to celebrate the hardworking boys who hawked papers on city streets.
The five foot statue stands atop a tall granite base fitted with drinking fountains, thoughtfully designed to give water not only to people but also to horses, dogs, and cats. When it was unveiled, important guests traveled by private railroad cars from New York and Washington to attend the ceremony. The little newsboy has kept his watch for well over a century.
He survived a tornado that tore through Great Barrington in nineteen ninety five, and his fountain was restored a few years later. Easy to walk past, he is a small, sentimental tribute from an age when the news arrived on foot, carried by children through the streets at dawn.
