Nathaniel Pope (1747-1817)
Nathaniel Pope was originally buried in the old burial ground in the center and was moved here at a later time, along with his wife Mary (Barstow) Pope. A mariner and militia leader, Nathaniel Pope and Daniel Egery led a group of 25 villagers on a mission to capture two British-held vessels anchored in the outer harbor on May 13-14, 1775, which resulted in the first naval engagement of the Revolutionary War. Pope and Egery had each been placed in charge of 25 militamen in 1775 by the local Committee of Safety, of which Pope’s father, Col. Seth Pope, was a member. Prior to the war Pope had been engaged whaling and in trade with the West Indies and with southern ports. Following the war he became a part owner of ships.
On September 21, 1927, a bronze tablet was dedicated at Fort Phoenix commemorating the first naval battle of the American Revolution. Nathaniel Pope’s nearest living relative, grand-daughter Miss M. Alice Fish, age 92, attended the ceremony.
