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The Union Railroad Station sits along the
Thames River and New London harbor. It was designed by architect H. H.
Richardson and built in 1888.
In O’Neill’s day the harbor was
crowded with commercial vessels, fishing boats, pleasure craft, and the
occasional whaling ship, the remnants of New London’s once significant
whaling fleet. The local newspapers often reported that the harbor was a
"forest of masts." Although damage from the 1938 hurricane
altered the appearance of the New London waterfront, there are still
many distinctive buildings from the turn of the last century—providing
a glimpse of the cityscape that the O’Neills enjoyed when they arrived
by steamship.
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Union
Station, c. 1910 |
Across the tracks from the Union
Railroad Station, near the Fishers Island Ferry Terminal, there is a
bronze statue of Eugene O’Neill. It was inspired by a photograph taken
of the playwright in 1895 when he was sketching on the banks of the
Thames River. It was one of O’Neill’s favorite pictures of himself.
Created by Connecticut sculptor Norman Legassie, the statue was unveiled
on the occasion of the Eugene O’Neill Centennial Celebration (1988).
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O’Neill at age seven -
This photograph,
one of O’Neill’s favorites, served as the
inspiration for Legassie’s statue. |
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