4. Pieces of King George III Statue Can Still Be Found

The equestrian statue of King George III (mentioned in secret #1) was dedicated in Bowling Green on April 26, 1770. King George III was not the statue’s intended subject. After the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766, a number of cities decided to erect a statue of William Pitt, the British Prime Minister, who instrumental in the repeal of the Stamp Act. However, the New York elders thought it unwise to have a statue of Pitt when there was no statue of King. As a result the City commissioned Joseph Wilton to design statue of both men.

In the midst of the Revolutionary War, the fate of the statue was sealed. On July 9, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read at the head of each brigade of the Continental Army posted at New York. In the furor created from the public reading, British symbols around New York City were destroyed culminating in the pillaging of the statue of King George III. The remnants of the statue were sent to Litchfield, Connecticut and made into bullets for the war effort. Today, a few pieces from the statue, possibly hidden by loyalists in Connecticut, can be found at the New-York Historical Society.

Read about other equestrian statues around New York City here.