The Sentinel

The Sentinel is perhaps the Park’s most famous monument.

Now on the ground of the Roger Williams Park Zoo, the Gorham Company created this cast bronze piece for a private residence in 1851. Later it went on exhibit at the famous Crystal Palace in London and won a gold medal from the New York Academy of Design. The artist family eventually gave it to the Park. According to legend, the dog warned the artist’s wife’s family of a serious fire, which is why the Sentinel’s chain is broken.

Thousands of Rhode Island children have posed for photographs on The Sentinel’s back.