Uncle Sam Statue

Sam Wilson was born in Massachusetts before the American Revolution had reached that colony. Sam Wilson joined the revolution movement when he was a teenager, towards the end of the war. As he got older, he relocated to Troy where he worked as a meat packer. During the War of 1812, Sam Wilson was contracted with supplying meat to troops from New York and New Jersey. The barrels of meat would be stamped "US", which was meant to mean United States. However, many soldiers who knew Sam Wilson said the "US" stood for "Uncle" Sam Wilson, and the nickname stuck. While Uncle Sam was a real person, over time he became somewhat of a legend. Uncle Sam became more of a character, and he embodied the United States. Uncle Sam was often used in political cartoons, posters, and other forms of visual media to portray a sense of American identity and nationalism. Because of Sam Wilson's ties to Troy, the city and community absolutely loves him. There are many different historical sites in Troy about Uncle Sam, and this is the second one on this tour alone! This statue was completed on October 18, 1980, This aluminum statue is 12-feet tall and was made by a local sculptor and professor at RPI named George Kratina.

Address: River St, Troy, NY, 12180