According to Havens, the original statue was taken down at the beginning of World War II when scrap metal was needed to fuel the war effort.Īccording to Havens, the statue is a visual reminder of the people who made the utmost sacrifice for the United States.Īlthough the story is an urban legend for the city, the statue and his story has and will remain a part of Wadsworth’s history as well as a symbol of the city. Wadsworth purchased a statue from the original catalogue in the late 1800s and it stood in the strip that separated the traffic lanes High Street, or more commonly known as Route 94. Sandusky lent Wadsworth their bronze cast statue nine years ago to be used as a model for the statue that is now in downtown Wadsworth. Wadsworth regained their statue in 2014 after not having him for about seventy years. In 2013, a fiberglass mold was made and it is this version that stands in front of the fire station at Stevens Point. After this incident, a concrete replica was made, but after a while, weathering began to affect the look of the boy. In 1988, Stevens Point’s original statue of the boy was decapitated, a hole punched through its chest as well as the base was broken. Photo courtesy of Lieutenant Travis Koch. It has stood in front of the fire station since the original statue was hit by a carriage around the 1920s. This statue stands in front of the fire station at Stevens Point, Wisconsin. According to Campbell, Salida’s statue stands on the grounds of an old railroad hospital, which is now the town’s city and county building.

Restoration of the Salida statue included taking out the rusted insides of the statue and replacing it with stainless steel as well as repainting the statue of the boy. Salida has had their statue for over 131 years and according to Bob Campbell, a volunteer at the Salida Museum, the statue went under major restoration in 1994. Salida, Colorado is a town that can be considered to be unusual in a sense that they still display their original statue outdoors. “At one point, I forget the year, the city commission of Sandusky voted to make it the symbol of Sandusky,” said Horsman.

This version stands in a fountain in Sandusky’s Washington Park. The second is a bronze cast replica of the original statue that was created in the early 1990s. This statue is now in the lobby of the Sandusky City Hall. According to Horsman, the original statue was bought by a hotel owner in downtown Sandusky in 1895 for the intent of furnishing the park that was right next to his hotel. Sandusky has two statues that are on display to the public. Photo courtesy of Thomas Horsman.ĭespite not having a legend attached to their statue, Sandusky has made the boy the symbol of the city. A copy of this statue was made in the 1990s and now stands in a fountain in Washington Park. This is Sandusky’s original statue that stands in the lobby of the Sandusky City Hall.

There are still towns that have no story attached to the boy. Another legend that is noted in states that he was a little fireman that used his boot to transport water in a bucket brigade. One legend, as stated in says that he was a newspaper boy that drowned while fishing. There are other accounts of his story in multiple towns. According to Roger Havens, president of the Wadsworth Historical Society, the boy was searching for his older brother, and in doing so, ended up bringing dying soldiers water through his boot. Wadsworth’s story focuses on a young boy being hailed as a hero during the time of the Civil War.

There are multiple stories that surround the statue of the boy. The original name of the fountain was The Unfortunate Boot, which continues to be used today by some of the towns located across the US. Mott Iron Works was a company that specialized in plumbing parts and fixtures. This is the original statue that was purchased in the late 1800s from J.L. This photo was taken in the 1920s when the statue stood in the strip across from Ann’s Bakery in downtown Wadsworth.

Bulb boy statue