After more than 100 years of standing guard over the graves of Civil War veterans, Ol Zachary may be ready to retire.
Ol Zachary is the nickname locals gave the statue of a Union infantry soldier atop a monument at the original Iola Cemetery. Believed to have been built in 1903 or 1904 by the J.W. Fiske Company, the white bronze, or zinc, statue was refurbished in 1998.
A rededication ceremony in 2001 included him put atop a new pedestal.
But after 20 years, Ol Zachary is showing his age. The weather has again taken its toll, peeling back layers of silver paint and expanding cracks in the statues shoulder and neck. Cant you feel his pain?
City officials now will need to decide if they want to restore the statue a second time, and whether to put it back at the cemetery and risk future damage, or keep him indoors in a climate-controlled area.
City crews discovered the damage last month, after Iolan Larry Walden asked the city if he could repair the pedestal and miniature sandstone cannons that surround it. Using a bucket truck, crews inspected the pedestal and statue. Though Ol Zachary looked fine from the ground, an eye-level view proved otherwise.
Berkley Kerr, Iolas parks and recreation superintendent, sought advice and sent photos to Tim Degginger of Deggingers Foundry in Topeka, who oversaw the renovation work 20 years ago. According to Register archives from 1998, Degginger advised city officials at the time to store the statue indoors.
Its such a valuable piece, and it will eventually begin to deteriorate again if its kept outdoors, Degginger was quoted in 1998.
He reiterated his point to Kerr last month: You wouldnt restore a classic car and park it outside for 20 years.
Crews removed the statue Dec. 21 and last week transferred it to the Allen County Historical Society, where it will remain on public display until city officials decide what to do next.
Degginger estimated it could cost $7,500 to restore the statue a second time, and would take about six weeks. Hes expected to visit Iola, perhaps as early as this week, to look over the statue and give a better estimate.
A restoration company from Fort Scott also has been asked to give an estimate for repairs.
Once that information is collected, City Administrator Sid Fleming plans to ask city council members how to proceed. Perhaps a local organization will step forward to help pay the costs of renovation. In 1998, the Iola Veterans Day Committee raised the $3,000 needed for the repair.
Then, it will be up to the council to decide Ol Zacharys fate. If kept inside, he likely could be displayed without need of further repair, Kerr said.
I dont think hes in as bad of shape as he was the first time, Kerr said.
Twenty years ago the statue was nearly split in two, his gun broken and parts of his feet missing. Deggingers crew inserted two metal rods the length of the statue and filled the interior with a foam-rubber material. Cracks were soldered and sanded. Several coats of silver and clear paint were used to protect the zinc surface. Degginger said at the time the statue was in relatively good shape for one of that age.
