Historic Sculpture Model Reinstalled at Cape Ann Museum Following Renovation

On Wednesday, April 8, a historic 13-foot plaster sculpture was carefully reinstalled at the Cape Ann Museum (CAM) in Gloucester, MA. The 150-year-old museum is nearing the end of an almost 20-month-long renovation and restoration.

As part of CAM's reopening following this closure and the success of a $23 million fundraising campaign, the 13-foot plaster version of the late sculptor Walker Hancock's Pennsylvania Railroad War Memorial was reinstalled in the museum.

Considered one of Hancock's most important works, the actual sculpture is a 39-foot bronze commissioned by the Pennsylvania Railroad and exhibited at Philadelphia's Thirtieth Street Station. Created between 1949 and 1952, the memorial depicts an angel lifting a fallen soldier; its base bears the names of more than 1,300 railroad employees who died in World War II.

The dramatic reinstallation of this plaster version in the atrium, which is at the nexus of the museum’s revitalized Downtown Campus, involved raising the piece one and a half floors into the air before attaching it to the wall. The conservator Robert Shure, who oversaw the deinstallation of the sculpture in October 2024 prior to the renovations, carefully refitted the plaster back together against a backdrop of large scaffolding. This work involving reattaching the angel’s wings and sealing the seams, offering a rare glimpse into the delicate work of handling a fragile sculpture of this scale.

Sculptor Walker Hancock (1901–1998) lived in Gloucester's Lanesville area and was a longtime friend and advisor to the Cape Ann Museum. Known for his ability to capture the human form with subjects ranging from U.S. presidents and distinguished leaders to artists, neighbors, and friends, several of his most important works are in the museum's permanent collection. Born in St. Louis, Hancock came to Lanesville in the summer of 1921 to study under artist Charles Grafly. Hancock's famous subjects include presidents George H.W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, and James Madison; vice presidents Hubert Humphrey and Gerald Ford; poet Robert Frost; and General Douglas MacArthur. His works are exhibited at the Library of Congress, West Point, and the National Cathedral.

Cape Ann Museum reopens June 30, 2026, following a months-long closure for a comprehensive renovation.