Name/Title
Print, PhotographicEntry/Object ID
2014.099.0077Description
Item in a brown frame with three openings in a beige mat:
top rectangle (6-1/2" x 2-3/4") contains a pen/ink drawing of an eagle on a cannon (like the one above the door to the powder magazine, building #10);
center oval (4-1/2" x 6-1/2") contains a B/W copy of a photograph of John Gomo;
bottom rectangle (6-1/2" x 4") contains the following information in all capitals in a plain font: "Above is a photograph of French immigrant John Gomo, Master Stonecutter, credited with having produced, in the year 1857, the sandstone sculpture (eagle sitting on the barrel of a cannon) over the doorway of Powder Magazine, Bldg. No. 10.
We salute Mr. Gomo and his fellow master craftsmen who produced for the Benicia Arsenal and posterity, the many extraordinary sandstone and brick buildings that still remain strong in stature, beautiful in design and functional in service."
Note: John Gomo was not craftsman who carved the eagle and cannon sculpture on Powder Magazine 10. He lived in New York in 1857 and came to Benicia in May 1859 and worked as a mason on the Clock Tower. The eagle and cannon sculpture was most likely carved by Caleb Merrill or Peter Larseneur who were master masons for construction of Magazine 2, Magazine 10 and the Clock Tower (1855-1860).Collection
Benicia Historical Museum Collection