Just over a century after William Benjamin Gould’s death, the town of Dedham unveiled a statue honoring the Civil War veteran, who escaped slavery before establishing himself as an anchor of the local community.
More than 100 residents of Dedham and beyond gathered at William B. Gould Park, renamed in 2021 to honor the veteran, for the Sunday afternoon unveiling on the eve of Memorial Day. Gould’s descendants, some of whom flew in from California, joined the celebration.
Gould’s great-grandson, William Gould IV, who wrote a book about the veteran’s daring escape from North Carolinian bondage, thanked the community for its commitment to honoring his legacy.
Gould was 24 when he made a harrowing escape from Wilmington, N.C., in 1862, rowing 28 nautical miles down the Cape Fear River along with seven other enslaved people. Days later, he enlisted in the United States Navy, where he would serve the remainder of the Civil War, working on the USS Cambridge and later the USS Niagara, pursuing Confederate warships through European waters.
Gould was a founding member of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Dedham.