Quincy, Mass.Blog #2 : Braintree Birthplace: Who Was Sylvanus Thayer?

If you're not in the military or from Braintree, Massachusetts (city next to Quincy, and the city from which Quincy came out of), you likely don't know who Sylvanus Thayer is and what he's famous for doing. In today's blog, we'll share all that information and explain what the award means that bears his name, because we were exploring history in the area of the south shore of Boston!   

WHO WAS SYLVANUS THAYER? Colonel and Brevet Brigadier General Sylvanus Thayer also known as "the Father of West Point" was an early superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point and an early advocate of engineering education in the United States. Sylvanus Thayer was most notable for his contributions to West Point Military Academy during his time there as superintendent, from 1817 to 1833. Under his supervision the school became the first engineering school in the country. 

(Photos: Front, back and side of the house, and the barn. Credit: R.G.) 

WHAT WERE HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO WEST POINT? He became known as the "Father of West Point" because of his lasting influence in West Point because he was an early advocate of engineering education in the United States and because of his influences on the West Point library, curriculum, and the pedagogical method.  

(Image: Sylvanus Thayer, painting by Robert Weir/Wikpedia)

WHERE IS HIS BIRTHPLACE? The home where he was born is located on Washington Street, Braintree, Mass. The saltbox style farmhouse was built in 1720 by Nathaniel Thayer. The house originally stood on the other side of Washington Street, where the Thayer Academy soccer fields currently are. 

HOW DID THE HOUSE GET TO ITS LOCATION? In 1957 the house and property surrounding it was purchased by Walworth Manufacturing. The company planned to build a multi-million dollar industrial complex on the site. Recognizing the historical importance of the house, the manufacturing company turned the house over to the Braintree Historical Society on the conditions that the Society relocated the house. The house was relocated in 1960 to its current location across from Town Hall and it was painstakingly restored to its 1785 appearance; the year that Sylvanus was born.

WHAT IS THE SYLVANUS THAYER AWARD GIVEN FOR? Since 1958, the West Point Association of Graduates has presented the Sylvanus Thayer Award to an outstanding citizen of the United States whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in the West Point motto, “Duty, Honor, Country.”  

FOR MORE INFO, Visit the website for the town of Braintree: https://braintreema.gov/408/Sylvanus-Thayer-Birthplace#:~:text=Sylvanus%20Thayer%20Birthplace%20%7C%20Braintree%2C%20MA