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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC03479.49 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to the 1880s |
| Title | Henry Honeychurch Gorringe to Jonathan William Poillon regarding the return of coins |
| Date | 5 April 1883 |
| Author | Gorringe, Henry Honeychurch (1841-1885) |
| Recipient | Poillon, Jonathan William |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Writes to say he has received no answer in relation to the note he sent about the return of coins he lent to the numismatic society. Wants to make sure they will be returned and to know when to expect them. Written on Gorringe's personal stationary which has his address at 32 Waverly Place printed at the top. |
| Subjects | Military History Navy Coins and Currency |
| People | Gorringe, Henry Honeychurch (1841-1885) Poillon, Jonathan William (fl. 1883) |
| Place written | New York, New York |
| Theme | Naval & Maritime |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1860-1945 |
| Additional Information | Henry Honeychurch Gorringe was born in Barbados on August 11, 1841. His father served as rector to St. Michael's Cathedral. Young Henry came to the United States at a young age, entering the merchant marine. When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted in the Union Navy. He quickly received many promotions during his service with the Mississippi squadron, reaching the rank of Acting-Volunteer Lieutenant. He remained in the Navy following the war, spending time in the Mediterranean from 1876-1878. In 1879, Gorringe put in an application for the contract to remove the obelisk of Thutmosis III from Alexandria to Central Park. His was the only complete plan, and in August of 1879, he was granted the contract, for which he was to be paid $75,000. Gorringe and his assistant, Seaton Schroeder, left for Europe to purchase materials and then went to Alexandria to be about the business of moving the obelisk. While in Egypt, Gorringe encountered local opposition, diplomatic obstruction from European countries, technical problems, and obstruction from local authorities. He was able to overcome them all and successfully departed from Alexandria in June 12, 1880. They arrived in Staten Island on July 20, right on schedule. Gorringe had to commission a special railway to carry the 200 ton obelisk from the shipyards to Central Park. It was finally erected on January 22, 1881. Gorringe wrote Egyptian Obelisks, a book about the expedition to retrieve the obelisk and a study of the other standing obelisks in Paris and London. He died on July 7, 1885 in an accident while jumping on to a moving train. His friend erected a miniature copy of Cleopatra's Needle over Gorringe's grave. He is buried in Rockland County's Rockland Cemetery. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |