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The Union Railroad Station sits along the Thames River and New London harbor. It was designed by architect H. H. Richardson and built in 1888.

In O’Neill’s day the harbor was crowded with commercial vessels, fishing boats, pleasure craft, and the occasional whaling ship, the remnants of New London’s once significant whaling fleet. The local newspapers often reported that the harbor was a "forest of masts." Although damage from the 1938 hurricane altered the appearance of the New London waterfront, there are still many distinctive buildings from the turn of the last century—providing a glimpse of the cityscape that the O’Neills enjoyed when they arrived by steamship.

Union Station, c. 1910

Across the tracks from the Union Railroad Station, near the Fishers Island Ferry Terminal, there is a bronze statue of Eugene O’Neill. It was inspired by a photograph taken of the playwright in 1895 when he was sketching on the banks of the Thames River. It was one of O’Neill’s favorite pictures of himself. Created by Connecticut sculptor Norman Legassie, the statue was unveiled on the occasion of the Eugene O’Neill Centennial Celebration (1988).

O’Neill at age seven - This photograph,
one of O’Neill’s favorites, served as the
inspiration for Legassie’s statue.
 

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