City to Honor the Real 'Uncle Sam'

TROY, N.Y. -- Uncle Sam is an iconic figure known worldwide, but he hasn't always received respect at home.

In 1971, his house at 144 Ferry St. was knocked down just before it was to be featured in a television show.

And Uncle Sam's local supporters have scrambled recently to find a new home for an exhibit at City Hall now that the local government is poised to move out of the building and into the Verizon building.

After considering storefront locations, the Uncle Sam Memorial Foundation has found a partner to help promote the Uncle Sam story.

The exhibit will be going to the Rensselaer County Historical Society, said Jim Shepard, the foundation's secretary.

At the historical society building at 57 Second St., the exhibit will take on a slightly different cast. Details for the revamped exhibit are still to be worked out by the society and the foundation.

"We're going to be adding some of our artifacts to it," said Cindy Silkworth, the historical society's administrator. "It's still very much in the planning stages."

Troy meatpacker Samuel Wilson supplied meat to the American army during the War of 1812. Barrels containing the meat were stamped with the letters U.S. They were said by soldiers to stand for "Uncle Sam," a nickname for Wilson that would come to represent the United States. The first personification of the national symbol dates to the 1850s. In 1961, Congress recognized Wilson as the inspiration for Uncle Sam.

The city intends to help the foundation out in the future.

"We hope to be able to find them a permanent home," said Jeffrey Pirro, a spokesman for Mayor Harry Tutunjian.

The tourism potential for promoting the Collar City as the place to visit to learn about Uncle Sam has never taken off, Shepard said, and support for a standalone museum promoting Uncle Sam has yet to be found.

"For some reason it's a tough sell. The reason is probably financial," Shepard said

Additional changes may help attract attention to Wilson's role as the model for Uncle Sam and his place in Troy's history. Wilson is buried in Oakwood Cemetery. The Uncle Sam Trail will have historic markers placed throughout the city relating to Wilson's story, Shepard said. There is $16,500 in government funding for that. The developers of the Congress-Ferry Street corridor plan to feature Wilson's Ferry Street house site.