In September 1951, a  Portuguese-American group from New York City  formed a new non-profit organization entitled  "Miguel Corte  Real  Memorial Society Inc"  for the purpose of buying the land around Dighton Rock and create a Dighton Rock Park.  This group was led by José Dâmaso Fragoso, who was at the time  an instructor of Portuguese Language  at New York University, Washington Square College.

The articles of Incorporation:

Certificate of Incorporation of Miguel Corte Real Memorial Society, Inc. 

Pursuant to Membership Corporation Law.

We, the undersigned, for the purpose of forming a membership corporation pursuant to the Membership Corporations Law of the State of New York, hereby certify: 

    (1)  The name of the proposed corporation shall be:

        MIGUEL CORTE REAL MEMORIAL SOCIETY INC.

    (2) The purposes for which it is to be formed are to promote the memory of MIGUEL CORTE REAL, Portuguese navigator of the 16^th Century and to erect suitable memorials to his memory.

    (3) The territory in which its operation is principally to be conducted in the United States of America.

    (4) The city and county in which its offices are to be located are the City of New York ad the County of New York.

    (5) The number of its Directors shall be not less than three (3) and not more than ten (10). 

     (6) The names and residences of the directors until the first annual meeting, are:

•   José Dâmaso Fragoso, 164-27 Hillside Avenue, Jamaica, New York

•   Manuel L. Da Silva, 54 Cheever Place, Brooklyn, New York

•   Antone S. Pimental, 237 Englewood Avenue, Englewood, New Jersey

•   Hermínio M. da Silva, 54 Cheever Place, Brooklyn, New York

•   António J.  Pires,  from New York City.

     (7) All of the subscribers to this certificate are of full age; at least two thirds of them are citizens of the United States; at least one of them is resident of the State of New York. Of the persons named as directors, at least one is a citizen of the United States and a resident of the State of New York.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF,  we have made, subscribed and acknowledged this certificate this 25th day of September, 1951:

Click on picture for larger view

The Attorney was Harry Neyer, who had offices at 40 Wall Street,  New York City,  where now in the year 2000 is the Trump Tower.

The Certificate of Incorporation was approve by Hon. James B. M. McNally, a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, of the First Judicial District, hereby approved the foregoing Certificate of Incorporation of the MIGUEL CORTE REAL MEMORIAL SOCIETY INC., AND CONSENT THAT THE SAME BE FILLED

Dated, New York, this 26 day of September 1951.

Signed by   

James B. M.  McNally

Justice of the Supreme Court 

Of the State of New York. 

The fee was $40:00  Court costs

 

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The Board of Directors of the new Organization

José Dâmaso Fragoso  became the president, Antone  Pimental,  the vice-president and I was selected to be the Secretary-Treasurer, because nobody else wanted it!

Hermínio M. da Silva was my brother and he did not want any position. 

Thus with all the documentation in order and the protocol  satisfied, our main objective became to study the feasibility of buying the land around Dighton Rock,  and to get the money to pay for it, because our personal finances were very much like zero!

The purchase of 50 acres of land
for Dighton Rock Park, 1952.

I met José Dâmaso Fragoso when I was a student  at New  York University  and  he was an instructor of Portuguese at the same university. I saw his name on the main catalogue of the University so I went  looking  for him and he received me very well. We became good friends and even visit my family in Brooklyn several times. In 1948,  I was the only Portuguese immigrant from  Brooklyn who  was attending the University!   Among more than 40 thousand students I felt very much alone.
 

I never attended any of Fragoso's lectures,  but I found out that  he too had a special interest for the Portuguese connection of Dighton Rock. He had even  invited Professor Delabarre to go to New York City and give a  lecture on his findings, on May 3^rd, 1930,  at the Vasco da Gama Club. May 1930, New York City On the front row:  Fragoso is the second  from the left. Professor Delabarre is the third.

The Portuguese World -- (O Mundo Lusíada)

In order to raise enough interest for Dighton Rock, especially among the Portuguese Americans,  Fragoso decided to start publishing  a magazine "The Portuguese World", in New York City. It came out every three months. He published 13 issues. He was able to convince the industrialist Emídio Nunes de Bastos, from Brooklyn, New York, to lend the "Miguel Corte Real Memorial Society, Inc", five thousand dollars for the purchase of  50 acres of land  around Dighton Rock  and  create the Dighton Rock Park.  

Click here to see a map of Dighton Rock Park

November 24, 1952,  in Taunton -- Roy M. Huntley of North Middleborough, Mass, signing the  deed  of sale of 50 acres of land  to "Miguel Corte Real Memorial Society Inc". To his right, sitting,  is  attorney V. J. Daponte. Standing on the  left  is Frank P. Motta, businessman from North Wesport, Mass; then  Charles G. Washburn, attorney from Taunton and on the extreme right  José Dâmaso Fragoso, from New York City.

Being Secretary-Treasurer of the Organization, I was not present at this important ceremony, because   I was already attending the Medical School at the University of Coimbra, Portugal.   When I received in Portugal the news of this purchase, I was very pleased.  

Now go to Sixth Round