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Labarge, Sherman,
Object -- Toy
Outdoor Sculpture -- Massachusetts -- Winchendon
Sculpture
Toy
Town
Rocking
Horse
, (sculpture).
Artist:
Labarge, Sherman, sculptor.
Title:
Toy
Town
Rocking
Horse
, (sculpture).
Dates:
Original 1914. Copy 1988.
Digital Reference:
Medium:
Painted wood.
Dimensions:
Approx. 15 x 10 x 4 ft.
Inscription:
(On
rocking
horse
and base:) S. Labarge July 4, 1988 (On sides of base:)
TOY
/TOWN signed
Description:
A large
toy
rocking
horse
resting on a wooden frame. The
rocking
horse
is painted grey and white, and the frame is painted red.
Subject:
Object
--
Toy
--
Rocking
Horse
Object Type:
Outdoor Sculpture
--
Massachusetts
--
Winchendon
Sculpture
Owner:
Administered by Town of Winchendon, Winchendon, Massachusetts
Located Route 202 & Route 12, Winchendon, Massachusetts
Remarks:
The inscription on a nearby plaque reads: The
Toy
Town
horse
is home again. This is a reproduction of the/original
Toy
Town
Horse
that stood for so long in Winchendon and/helped identify Winchendon as "
Toy
Town."/The original
Toy
Town
Horse
was constructed in 1914 as a float for the town's 150th anniversary. Winchendon was the home of the/Converse Company and the world's largest wooden
toy
factory./Workers from the Converse Company
--
Fred Dwelley, designer;/Charles Tenney, carpenter; Jesse Bezio, wood turner; John Damon,/painter; spent five months constructing the
horse
which was a four/time enlargement of the Converse Company's No. 12
rocking
horse
./
(Inscription continues) The original
horse
took 3,200 feet of two inch pine nailed together/to complete./The
horse
rested at the town's railroad station for twenty/years as a landmark for travelers passing through Winchendon./In 1917 the
horse
appeared in the Sunday edition of the "Boston/American." In 1934 the
horse
was moved to the
Toy
Town Tavern/property (now the Winchendon School) for thirty years. At that/location it was climbed on by children and well photographed./The
horse
made two other notable appearances for which it was/refurbished. In 1964 it was paraded in the town's bicentennial parade,/and again in 1976 for the nation's bicentennial. After that if fell/into disrepair and ruin./
(Inscription continues) Recently, the Winchendon Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation/with the Winchendon Historical Society, spearheaded a drive to/bring back the
horse
as a symbol of civic pride and a focal point of/our historical identity. Through the earnest efforts of two/organizations and many townspeople, funds were raised and the project became a reality./The craftsman found to create the new
horse
was Sherman/Labarge of Fryeburg, Maine. It took him 18 months to complete the/
horse
here in front of you. The new
horse
made its public debut/at Winchendon's 1988
Toy
Town Fourth of July celebration. It now/stands in a gazebo constructed through the efforts of the Chamber/of Commerce and the donations of labor and materials from Chamber members.
(Inscription continues) The
horse
that stands before you is a symbol of pride to the/citizens of Winchendon that we wish to display to all. As it once/stood at the railroad station, it now stands at the junction of two well traveled roads passing through Winchendon for all to see./With the help of modern technology and the shelter we hope that/people can enjoy the
Toy
Town
Horse
with us for another seventy/five years to come.
References:
Save Outdoor Sculpture, Massachusetts survey, 1997.
Illustration:
Image on file.
Note:
The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.
Repository:
Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Control Number:
IAS MA001019
Copy/Holding information
Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum
Control Number
Inventory of American Sculpture
MA001019
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