For more than 65 years, the Westport Fishermen’s Monument has stood as a place of remembrance, honoring the men and women who made their living on the sea and those who never came home. For over six years, the Westport Fishermen’s Monument Committee, WEfish, the Cole & Dylan Memorial Fund, the City of Westport, and many dedicated volunteers have worked tirelessly to make long-overdue improvements.
“Together, we’ve raised more than $72,000 toward a complete rehabilitation of the monument. Now we’re in the home stretch,” Jodee Orton wrote on GoFundMe. “Construction is ready to begin this summer, but we’re still $21,903.85 short of our fundraising goal.”
The City of Westport is loaning the project the remaining balance, but they need to reimburse the City. So, they started a GoFundMe asking for help.
Long before the monument was built, fishermen gathered each Palm Sunday beginning in 1954 for the Blessing of the Fleet, asking for safe voyages and remembering those lost at sea. Inspired by that tradition, community volunteers, the Westport boosters, and the Port of Grays Harbor built a permanent memorial, dedicated in 1961 to honor generations of fishermen. In 1974, local businesses, civic groups, and the South Beach VFW Auxiliary came together once again to sponsor the planter boxes that still surround the monument today.
Learn how you can help by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/f/westport-fishermens-monument-rejuvenation-project.
