Revolutionary War Hero, Peter Francisco, To Be Honored With Statue 250 Years after His Kidnapping from the Azores Announces Hercules Tour
Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) June 03, 2015 -- On June 23, 2015 - 250 years from the very day Peter Francisco was found in Virginia - a statue will be dedicated in Porto Judeu close to where Francisco was kidnapped as a five-year-old boy. In 1765, Peter was kidnapped from Terceira Island on the Day of Pentecost and found on a dock in Virginia on June 23, 1765. Peter Francisco’s descendant Travis Bowman, author of the historical novel Hercules of the Revolution, which is based on the life of his famous great-grandfather, has brought the Portuguese and US governments together to dedicate a statue in honor of his famous ancestor. Five monuments stand in Peter’s honor in the US, including one in Virginia close to where he was found, but this will be the first monument in Portugal.
The oldest US Consulate in the world is based in the Azores, and Consul Daniel Bazan from Ponta Delgada will be the keynote speaker for the statue dedication. Many US & Portuguese dignitaries will also be in attendance. The local Portuguese government is paying for half of the $15,000 statue, and Travis Bowman raised the other half through private and corporate donations. Bowman commissioned Rui Goulart, a famous sculptor in the Azores, to design and build the three-foot bronze statue. “It is an honor to use my artistic talent,” Goulart says, “to preserve this Luso-American hero’s legacy here in my homeland.”
Bringing Peter Francisco to Life on the Big Screen
Travis Bowman founded Bequest Films a couple of years ago with the goal of producing a full-length feature movie based on his novel Hercules of the Revolution and the life of George Washington’s “One-Man Army.” Executive Producer, John Allen, will be joining Bowman for the statue dedication along with 12 other descendants and friends of Peter Francisco. “This film will be a blend of The Patriot, Gladiator, and Braveheart all in one,” says Mr. Allen, “but there is also a true-to-life Romeo and Juliet love story that will have people on the edge of their seats.”
Bowman’s novel has been called “the American Braveheart story,” and he believes the film will bring tourists from all around the world to Portugal similar to the tourism Scotland experienced after the movie Braveheart was released about William Wallace.
About Peter Francisco – Hercules of the Revolution
Peter Francisco was called the “Hercules of the Revolution” because of his enormous size, massive strength, and unbelievable bravery. Born in the Azores, Peter was kidnapped and abandoned by pirates when he was five years old, then bought as a slave. He won his personal freedom and, ultimately, that of a nation, by enlisting and serving in the Continental Army. George Washington had a six-foot broadsword made for him and even made the claim that we would have likely lost the whole Revolutionary War without Peter Francisco. His legacy continues today with five monuments that stand in his honor and a US bicentennial stamp that enshrined him in 1976, in addition to the five states that observe Peter Francisco Day.
About Travis Bowman
Seventh generation descendant, Travis Bowman, is similar in stature standing the same height and looks remarkably similar to one of Peter’s portrait paintings. As an actor, Bowman has performed over 100 dramatic impersonations of Peter with a six-foot replica broadsword similar to the one George Washington had made for him. Bowman has performed before tens of thousands all across the world and before many dignitaries including the First Lady of Portugal. In 2010, Bowman produced a short documentary that won a Platinum Aurora Award in 2011 and still airs on select PBS stations around the country. Keep up with Travis on Twitter @PeterFrancisco.
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For more details about the statue dedication go to http://www.pfstatue.com. To schedule an interview with Travis Bowman, please call Heather Walls at (443) 591-8451 or e-mail virginiagiant(at)gmail(dot)com.
Travis Bowman, Bequest Publishing, http://www.pfstatue.com, +1 (704) 728-5800, [email protected]
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