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Pennsylvania Statues

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Amos
Hershey Farm Restaurant and Inn
Ronks, PA
Amos, a 15-foot-tall fiberglass and steel Amish farmer, was built in 1969 by Rodman Shutt. He stood in front of Zinn's Diner in Denver, PA until 2003 (top row of photos). Amos was named after the family babysitter's father and made to look like the diner's owner. This statue was created in celebration of Zinn's expansion, replacing the previous Amos statue that was built in 1960. The soundbox from this original Amos was kept, permitting the statue to tell bad Amish jokes in a thick Pennsylvania Dutch accent.

In 2003, Zinn's was sold and became the Lyndon Diner III. Amos was donated to the Heritage Center of Lancaster County. Much too big to be put on display at their museum, he was turned over to Hershey Farm in Ronks, PA on a five-year loan. However, the statue is still there. He was spruced up with a new purple shirt (second row of photos above). For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Rod Shutt created many other giants, including the Boothbay Harbor Fisherman, the Leather Guy, the Amish Couple, the York Barbell Man, Freeze & Frizz (all shown below), as well as the Charlemont and Freeport Indians, and figures for Dutch Wonderland. Shutt also produced several Santa statues. He began building these figures in 1960 in Strasburg, PA. He used fiberglass and selastic and built each figure individually. His pieces were sold and shipped nationwide. He retired and moved to West Virginia around the mid-1970s. There, he dabbled in wood carving and sold hand-made cars and baskets at arts and crafts shows.

Amish Couple
Shartlesville, PA (now Myerstown, PA)
This Amish Couple is installed next to Roadside America. The statues were built by Rod Shutt (see above) and installed here in 1964. These photos are from 2012. The statues were restored in 2014. In 2020, Roadside America closed and the entire contents of the attraction, including these statues, were sold at auction. They were moved to Creative Crafts in Myerstown, PA. In 2021, the statues were badly damaged by an arsonist. The owner has restored them. Mark Cline built a new head for the man. For more, see this website. [map]

Giant Farmer with Pigs
Ronks, PA
The Farmer with Pigs statue is another Rod Shutt creation from about 1976. The restaurant at that time was Freeze & Frizz which specialized in BBQ and ice cream. It opened in 1973. The restaurant now houses Katie's Kitchen. The statue is still there. The farmer is nicknamed "Huckleberry." [map]

Amish Man and Woman [gone]
Lancaster, PA
The Amish Man and Woman stood across the street from the Lancaster Visitors Center. They appear to be Rod Shutt statues and stand about 10 feet tall. In 2009, they were removed for restoration and were to be reinstalled soon near the same spot. However, as of 2010, these statues are still missing and the Visitors Center knows nothing about plans to bring them back. Does anyone know if they are in storage or what happened to them? For more, see this website.

Amish Men
Kutztown, PA
These Dutch Boy statues stood in front of Dempsey's Dutch Country restaurants. They were produced in the early 1970s and installed at the company's restaurants in the Reading, PA area. These two statues are now displayed during the Kutztown Folk Festival.

Pirate [gone]
Breinigsville, PA
 York Barbell Man
York, PA
This Pirate stands in front of the former Terry Hill Waterpark. Until recently, the statue was installed inside the park near the Pirate Slides. The 43-acre park opened in the late 1960s. It officially closed for good around 2013. This statue was still there in 2015 but gone by 2018. It had been sold to someone in Oklahoma but never displayed. In 2024, it was put up for sale. There is another pirate statue like this one in Hampton, NH.

The York Barbell Man sign is located alongside I-83. The statue revolves on a platform. It is 7 1/2 feet tall and was built to look like the company's founder, Bob Hoffman. York Barbell has been around since 1932. This statue was created in the 1960s or 1970s by Rod Shutt who built Amos (top of this page) and many other roadside giants. [map]

Abraham Lincoln & a Tourist
Gettysburg, PA
This statue of Abraham Lincoln & a Tourist is entitled "The Return Visit". The bronze sculpture was created by J. Seward Johnson, Jr. in 1991 and is installed in the town's main square. Lincoln gestures towards the Wills House where he finished writing the Gettysburg Address. [map]

A much larger version of this statue was installed in Springfield, IL. That statue is gone now.

Bride and Groom [gone]
Pittsburgh, PA
 Soldier
Upper Darby, PA
This Bride and Groom were installed on the roof of the Big Day One Stop Wedding & Event Center. The business closed around 2014 and the statue is gone now.

This Soldier statue is installed above the entrance of Callahan's Tavern. He seems to be life-sized. There was an identical statue in Blackwood, NJ. [map]

Pirate's Cove
Erie, PA
 Toy Soldiers
Broomall, PA
Pirate's Cove is a walk-through fun house at Waldameer Park. It was built by Bill Tracy in 1972. There is another Pirate's Cove just like this one at Trimpers Amusement Park in Ocean City, MD. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

This pair of Toy Soldiers is located at Nicholas Smith Trains. This store sells toys in addition to model trains. Around 2021, one of the Soldiers fell over. It is being repaired and will be reinstalled. [map]

Joe Magarac
Braddock, PA
This statue of Joe Magarac stands in front of the U.S. Steel mill. The mythic folk hero could make steel products with his bare hands. This 15-foot-tall statue was previously displayed in West Mifflin, PA at Kennywood amusement park's train ride. He was created and installed there in 1993. Another source says the statue was built in the 1950s. Originally, the statue's skin was a natural flesh tone color and he had blonde hair. He wore blue jeans and a red shirt. The statue was nearly scrapped in 2009 before being saved by U.S. Steel. At that time, the statue was restored and a USS necklace was added. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Play at Second
Philadelphia, PA
 Tackle
Philadelphia, PA
These Baseball and Football Players statues were built by Joe Brown. They were installed in 1976 at Veterans Stadium along with The Batter and The Punter statues. In 2005, the four statues were relocated to Citizens Bank Park. These photos are from 2012. [Baseball map]; [Football map]

More Pennsylvania:
Toy Soldiers (Breinigsville)
Muscleman (Darlington)
Paul Bunyan (Doylestown) [gone]
Tire King (Erie) [gone]
Bigfoot (Hermitage) [gone]
Knight (McVeytown)
Chef Boyardee (Milton) [map]
Paul Bunyan (Oaks) [gone]
Bobblehead (Paxtonia)
Construction Workers (Pottstown)
Fireman (Slatington) [map]
Coal Miner (Somerset)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (West Wyomissing)
Abraham Lincoln (Wilkinsburg)

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