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James A. Garfield statue loses head: Vandals strike at Hiram College

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Diane Smith
May 16, 2009

 

 

By Diane Smith

Record-Courier staff writer

HIRAM — A sandstone statue carved in the image of President James A. Garfield was beheaded, only hours after the building it stands outside was dedicated Thursday.

The statue, which dates back to 1914, recently was moved to the corner of S.R. 700, S.R. 82 and S.R. 305 outside a Greek-revival style church that was relocated to Hiram College. 

College spokesman Shawn Brown said the vandalism took place some time between 10 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. Friday, when Hiram College employees came in to work.

The building, which is the new home of Hiram College’s Garfield Institute for Public Leadership, was meticulously re-assembled, restored and unveiled in a dedication ceremony Thursday. The structure, a former church where Garfield is believed to have once delivered a sermon, was relocated to the site from Trumbull County.

The sandstone statue was recently discovered by Paul Martin, a trustee of the college, at a farm in Frazeysburg. It had been in storage until this week, when it was moved to its permanent location in a view out of the building’s north windows, facing the college.

Brown said police are searching for leads. Tim Bryan, vice president for institutional advancement, sent an e-mail to the college community Friday, asking anyone with information to call the Hiram Police Department at 330-569-3236.

It is unknown whether the head could be put back on the statue if it is found.

“We’re hopeful that we can get the head back so we can make the necessary repairs to the statue,” he said.

Garfield was a student of the college from 1851 to 1853 when  it was still known as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute. Later, he served as principal of the school, teaching Greek, Latin, mathematics and geology. He left the college in 1861 to serve in the Civil War.

 

 




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   Next 10 Comments of 16 Total Comments
16.
    Posted by TIRED OF THE B.S May 21, 2009
when are kids and well people in general going to grow up? i know im asking alot.... maybe the guys from D&C can repair it... has anybody seen what they did with the john grate monument in atwater? dang they did a great job

15.
    Posted by MyGirl42187 May 21, 2009
I did that on purpose.

14.
    Posted by High Holy Grand Poo-Bah May 20, 2009
I count the word "head" 6 times in MyGirl's comment.

13.
    Posted by MyGirl42187 May 19, 2009
I think the kid who did this is headed for trouble!!Generally the Hiram student have a good head on thier shoulders. I bet the dean's head almost exploded when he found out about it. As pranks go this was distructive and someone didnt use thier head and proper judgement. Hopefully the police chief in Hiram will head up the investigation and bring proper closure. This country is still headed in a bad direction....

12.
    Posted by jamesmarkov May 18, 2009
My bad "thinblueline", why I was thinking Mantua is beyond me. However in all frankness, how hard would it be to reattach a head like that on a statue?

11.
    Posted by Integrity May 18, 2009
Another fine example of how our young people of today have been taught to respect others and their property. I, too, hope they are caught, punished and made to pay restitution.

10.
    Posted by thinblueline May 18, 2009
Well folks, don't plan on Hiram PD solving this crime with a part time police dept. And what about those morons at Hiram College. Erect a statue just before commencement. Where was the extra security from the college and the extra police that they always hire prior to this event? It only took the college 11 hrs. to find it gone! AMATURES.

bhess, the rumor is a Hiram COLLEGE senior did this,
not a James A Garfield senior. And Mr. Markov, read the article, it's Hiram, not Mantua.

9.
    Posted by Vydunas May 18, 2009
I'm opposed to this sort of historic vandalism, and hope the head is recovered and the perp punished. That said, it's a statue of a POLITICIAN. Granted, they weren't as much of a criminal class in Garfield's day as now. But remember that Garfield died because he didn't give a government job to somebody. It was bad taste for Hiram to put it there (even if he was their president), and if it was that precious, it shouldn't have been left out.

8.
    Posted by bhess May 18, 2009
I cannot believe this happened. Whoever did it deserves jail time and restitution and if it was a senior at James A Garfield and a senior (as rumors have it) then they shouldn't be able to graduate with their class. This statute was 95 years old! Whoever did it - man up and return the head!

7.
    Posted by Gampa May 17, 2009
If we gave some jail time for this type of thing than it would happen less often. It is not cool.

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