Paul Bunyan, (sculpture).

Paul Bunyan, (sculpture).

Martin, J. Normand, sculptor.

Messmore and Damon, contractor.

Paul Bunyan, (sculpture).

1956-1959. Dedicated Dec. 31, 1958 or Jan. 1, 1959.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: reinforced fiberglass, painted, with steel armature; Base: concrete.

Sculpture: approx. H. 31 ft.; Base: approx. 6 ft. 8 in. x 18 ft. 7 in. x 12 ft. 10 in. (3,700 lbs.).

Full-length colossal figure of Paul Bunyan stands on a square base. The figure wears a belted red and black flannel jacket and green trousers tucked into brown boots. He has short black hair and a black moustache and beard. The smiling figure balances an axe on his proper shoulder and holds a peavey (a lumberman's lever) diagonally in front of him in his proper left hand.

Literature -- Character -- Paul Bunyan

Occupation -- Industry -- Lumber

Object -- Tool -- Axe

Object -- Tool -- Peavey

Outdoor Sculpture -- Maine -- Bangor

Administered by City of Bangor, Parks & Recreation, 647 Main Street, Bangor, Maine 04401

Located Paul Bunyan Park, Main Street, Bangor, Maine

Commissioned by the Bangor 125th Steering Committee for the Town's 125th Anniversary. The $20,000 cost was raised through individual and corporate donations. The Committee's original idea was to have the figure straddle Main Street, but this was rejected due to the expense. This is reportedly the largest Paul Bunyan statue in United States or Canada. There is a time capsule in the base which is scheduled to be opened on Feb. 12, 2084, the Bicentennial of Bangor. Sources attached to the SOS! survey differ as to the dedication date, which was either Dec. 31, 1958 or Jan. 1, 1959. An attached article from the Bangor Daily News dated May 14, 1956 makes reference to the sculpture being extant. According to an excerpt from the Bangor Daily News, Oct. 22, 1969, a new peavey was constructed by the Bangor Public Works Department to replace the original whose iron armature had rusted out. In the 1960s, the statue was filled with styrofoam to prevent excessive moisture. IAS files include a related article from Salt Magazine (Maine), May 1989 and text of nearby plaque. In the late 1800s, Bangor was acclaimed "The Lumber Capital of the World."

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Maine survey, 1995.

Salt Magazine 35 (May 1989): pg. 12-22.

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.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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