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Tri-Counties Genealogy &
History by Joyce M. Tice
Local History Articles Section
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Bradford County PA
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Chemung County NY
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Tioga County PA
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| Article: Wynken, Blynken and Nod Statue |
| Township: Wellsboro Borough |
| Article by Jane Webb |
| Photographs sent in by Jane Webb |
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Wynken, Blynken and Nod
The Story Behind the Statue on the Green
by Jane Webb
It was a bright, sunny September afternoon in 1938 and 2,000 people gathered
on the village green in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Bands played and children
laughed as they anticipated the unveiling of a gift to the community. The
cord was pulled, revealing a bronze statue of Wynken, Blynken and Nod sailing
on its man-made sea and fountain.
Eugene Field was a newspaper columnist, inspired to write poems dedicated
to childhood and its world of make-believe. He believed in simplicity and
the genuineness of children’s thoughts and felt children should be allowed
to grow up during their early years in an atmosphere of make-believe. One
of his best-loved poems was Wynken, Blynken and Nod, the story of
three children who sailed off in a wooden shoe.
The Honorable Fred W. Bailey of Denver, Colorado, presented the statue
of the Green to the children of Wellsboro as a gesture of love for his
late wife Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s love for Field’s poem and love for her
hometown inspired Bailey to donate the memorial.
Elizabeth Cameron was born and raised in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. She
was a great-great granddaughter of Richard Mitchell, one of the pioneer
settlers of Tioga County. Fred Bailey also grew up in Wellsboro, but followed
his yearning for the West to Colorado in 1884. In a few years he returned
to Wellsboro, courted and married Elizabeth Cameron, and returned to Denver.
Fred and Elizabeth Bailey never had children, but her love of children
was obvious by the Memorial her husband chose to reflect her life.
As a child growing up in Wellsboro, the statue on the Village Green
was a memorable part of my childhood. Many days I sat on the edge of the
fountain and dabbled my bare feet in the sea at the base of the ship carrying
the three children. My mother wrote a poem titled MEMORIAL about the statue
of Wynken, Blynken and Nod. It was a poem I always loved and wanted to
present in a special way so that my children could appreciate it also.
I did not know at the time that the Elizabeth on the memorial plaque was
a family member. My mother, Ruth Inscho, was also a great-great granddaughter
of Richard Mitchell.
MEMORIAL
by Ruth Inscho
“IN MEMORY OF ELIZABETH--”
The small inscription reads;
Written on a fountain which
Adorns the village green.
(“Tis money squandered on the dead.
Some doubting person pleads;
“Twere better spent upon the poor
Or crippled folk, I ween.”)
The dear memorial was built,
A fountain forming a sea,
Where sailed a quaint boat and three fisherman small.
“Wynken, Blynken and Nod.”
And it stands where the world passes by
And everyone can see –
Where babies ride and children play,
And the weary homeward plod.
I fancy the fishermen smile to hear
The music of happy laughter –
Their wisdom, light as the song of a child
Yet deep as the heart of God!
For every night while the village sleeps,
Its children go sailing after
The three little fishermen, catching the stars,
“Wynken, Blynken and Nod.”
Oh, who can measure with wealth or with words
A joyousness, lovely and wild,
Quickened by symbols of stardust and dreams
Deep in the heart of a child.
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First Added to the Site on 22 FEB 2003
By Joyce M. Tice
Email: JoyceTice@aol.com
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