Timothy Dexter’s William Pitt Statue in Newburyport, Massachusetts

All the United States Massachusetts Newburyport Timothy Dexter’s William Pitt Statue The last surviving life-size sculpture owned by eccentric 18th century businessman and self-styled "Lord Timothy Dexter" who once decorated his home with 40 of these. Newburyport is one of the most well-known and vibrant coastal communities in Massachusetts. Located near the mouth of the Merrimack River and Plum Island, it has a long history of shipping, fishing, tourism, and is officially recognized as the founding location of the US Coast Guard.

The Museum of Old Newbury is dedicated to the history of Newburyport, its surrounding communities, and is housed inside a grand Federal style mansion built in the early 1800s. There are many historic and unique artifacts on display, but perhaps the most striking that immediately grabs the attention of visitors, is the large wooden painted statue of a man in military uniform standing on the stairs and seemingly following you with its eyes. The peculiarity of this relic was most likely done intentionally, as it was once owned by one of the most peculiar and eccentric wealthy businessmen in early American history.

Timothy Dexter was born in colonial Massachusetts in 1747 to a poor family of English and Irish ancestry. He dropped out of school at around age 8 to become a farmhand and at age 16 he became a tanner's apprentice. In 1769 at age 21, he moved to Newburyport and married 32-year-old Elizabeth Frothingham, a very rich widow.

Using the money he acquired, he purchased a large mansion and began his incredibly bizarre yet prosperous business ventures. After the American Revolution had ended, Continental Dollars had depreciated to the point of worthlessness and could be acquired easily. Dexter bought huge sums of these dollars and when the US government decided to honor its debt, he made a considerable profit.

He used the money to build two ships and began an export business to the Caribbean and Europe selling rather unusual items. He sold bed warmers, designed for cold New England winters to the West Indies, a tropical climate. It seemed illogical to do so, but the local molasses industry repurposed them as ladles instead.

Dexter also sent a shipment of wool gloves to the West Indies which were purchased by Russian merchants who were docked at the time and later resold in Siberia. He also exported a large number of stray cats to the Caribbean which were purchased by locals to control the rodent population. He also hoarded a lot of whalebones which were later fashioned into corset stays.