Jenny Lind Tower
Encyclopedia
The Jenny Lind Tower is a stone tower located in North Truro, Massachusetts. It is named after Jenny Lind
, who is rumored to have climbed the tower when it was located in Boston
to prevent a riot among people who were unable to attend her concert. It is located roughly between Highland Light and North Truro Air Force Station
. It is seventy feet tall.
Station, later the Fitchburg Railroad
Depot, in Boston
. In 1850, singer Jenny Lind
sang in the auditorium above the station. The concert was oversold and many people were not able to get in. Soon after, she had to cut her performance short after fans began to crash the gates. P. T. Barnum was the publicist for Lind and it is possible that he was the legend behind the name.
In 1927, the station was being torn down. Lawyer Henry M. Aldrich, who was connected with the railroad, had the tower dismantled stone by stone and transported to land in North Truro, Massachusetts that he bought one hundred acres from a local named Mort Small. Erection of the tower took more than two months and involved the labor of five men. He also erected five cottages on the land, but left no reasoning for the erection of the tower.
The Cape Cod National Seashore
atttained the deed for the tower in 1961; it was donated by Aldrich's daughter-in-law. There are no roads to the tower, although it is fairly close to a road that goes to a Federal Aviation Administration
radar facility on land that is part of the old North Truro Air Force Station
.
climbed the tower and sang to the public. While this has not been proven to be false, newspaper reports of the time do not mention any sort of performance by her to the public below. It is also rumored that Henry Aldrich was an admirer of her, hence the reason that he moved the tower to his land. The problem in that story though is that he was not born until seventeen years after the incident. In "A Pilgrim Returns to Cape Cod", Edward Snow made the myth more attractive by stating, "There are those who like to believe", that because an Aldrich family member was captivated by Jenny's voice, this caused them to decide to move the tower to their land in Truro, Massachusetts
. He went on to undermine the myth by stating that Aldrich's son, later told him that Lind's performance did not motivate his father to move the tower to his land on the Cape. It is because of this myth that the legend of the tower lives on in local lore.
Jenny Lind
Johanna Maria Lind , better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she is known for her performances in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and for an extraordinarily...
, who is rumored to have climbed the tower when it was located in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to prevent a riot among people who were unable to attend her concert. It is located roughly between Highland Light and North Truro Air Force Station
North Truro Air Force Station
North Truro Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located east of North Truro, Massachusetts....
. It is seventy feet tall.
History
The tower itself, similar to a castle's battlement, was once part of the Boston and Maine RailroadBoston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
Station, later the Fitchburg Railroad
Fitchburg Railroad
The Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, USA, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900...
Depot, in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. In 1850, singer Jenny Lind
Jenny Lind
Johanna Maria Lind , better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she is known for her performances in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and for an extraordinarily...
sang in the auditorium above the station. The concert was oversold and many people were not able to get in. Soon after, she had to cut her performance short after fans began to crash the gates. P. T. Barnum was the publicist for Lind and it is possible that he was the legend behind the name.
In 1927, the station was being torn down. Lawyer Henry M. Aldrich, who was connected with the railroad, had the tower dismantled stone by stone and transported to land in North Truro, Massachusetts that he bought one hundred acres from a local named Mort Small. Erection of the tower took more than two months and involved the labor of five men. He also erected five cottages on the land, but left no reasoning for the erection of the tower.
The Cape Cod National Seashore
Cape Cod National Seashore
The Cape Cod National Seashore , created on August 7, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, encompasses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It includes ponds, woods and beachfront of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion...
atttained the deed for the tower in 1961; it was donated by Aldrich's daughter-in-law. There are no roads to the tower, although it is fairly close to a road that goes to a Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
radar facility on land that is part of the old North Truro Air Force Station
North Truro Air Force Station
North Truro Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located east of North Truro, Massachusetts....
.
Legend behind the name
A common myth surrounding the naming of the tower is that on the night of her performance, Jenny LindJenny Lind
Johanna Maria Lind , better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she is known for her performances in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and for an extraordinarily...
climbed the tower and sang to the public. While this has not been proven to be false, newspaper reports of the time do not mention any sort of performance by her to the public below. It is also rumored that Henry Aldrich was an admirer of her, hence the reason that he moved the tower to his land. The problem in that story though is that he was not born until seventeen years after the incident. In "A Pilgrim Returns to Cape Cod", Edward Snow made the myth more attractive by stating, "There are those who like to believe", that because an Aldrich family member was captivated by Jenny's voice, this caused them to decide to move the tower to their land in Truro, Massachusetts
Truro, Massachusetts
Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, comprising two villages: Truro and North Truro. Located two hours outside Boston, it is a summer vacation community just south of the northern tip of Cape Cod, in an area known as the "Outer Cape"...
. He went on to undermine the myth by stating that Aldrich's son, later told him that Lind's performance did not motivate his father to move the tower to his land on the Cape. It is because of this myth that the legend of the tower lives on in local lore.