NEW YORK, NY November 16, 2008 —After a rainy Saturday morning, about 200 people gathered at Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park to rededicate the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 148-foot Doric column at the center of the park.

REPORTER: The remains of nearly 12,000 prisoners of the Revolutionary war lie in a crypt under the monument. They perished aboard British prison ships anchored on the Hudson River. Their bones and bodies ultimately washed ashore –- they were collected and buried as martyrs. Also in attendance were descendants of survivors of the floating prisons. Kip Jacobs drove in from Chicago with his family.

JACOBS: I’m a fifth descendent of James Forten who was a prisoner on the Jersey. I’m very proud to be his descendent and I'm also very pleased to see the dedication involved with this. I’m gonna go take a walk back and really get a good view, I'm gonna get a few pictures. It touches me deeply.

REPORTER: The event included a 21-gun salute, a wreath-laying ceremony and several speeches from city officials including borough president Marty Markowitz, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery and organizer Ruth Goldstein. The highlight of the evening was the relighting of the top of the monument which had been dark for the past 71 years.

The rededication marks the end of a 10 year fundraising and restoration project by the Fort Green Park Conservancy.