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Wisconsin Statues

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King Gambrinus
2007: Woodridge, IL
King Gambrinus
2012: Milwaukee, WI
King Gambrinus is the patron saint of beer, often called the "King of Beers". His real name was Jan Primus - a 13th Century knight from Brussels that invented hopped malt beer. Many European breweries feature statues of him.

A wood-carved King Gambrinus statue was originally installed at the Pabst brewery in Milwaukee in 1857. In 1966, it was replaced with this aluminum statue. When Pabst moved its headquarters to Woodridge, the statue was brought along. When these photos above were taken in 2007, it stood in the Pabst employee tasting room. In 2011, the statue was moved back to the old Pabst Brewery building in Milwaukee. It stands in the courtyard of Best Place. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

King Gambrinus
La Crosse, WI
 King Gambrinus
La Crosse, WI
The first King Gambrinus statue shown above is 15 feet tall. It stands next to the City Brewery which was previously Heileman's Brewery. Heileman bought this concrete statue from a defunct brewery and installed it here in 1939. The photos are from 2012. In 2015, the statue's raised arm was broken off. A replacement fiberglass statue was built and installed around 2017. Across the street from this statue is a Giant Six-Pack of Beer. [map]

The other King Gambrinus statue in La Crosse was created by Elmer Peterson in 1980. The Cor-Ten steel statue was installed in front of Heileman's corporate headquarters. These photos are from 2007. That statue was moved to Heroes Bar and Grill where it is displayed inside. In 2017, the same artist created a replica statue. It was installed again in front of the Heileman's building. [map]

More Gambrinus Statues:
New Orleans, LA
Baltimore, MD
Columbus, OH

Spartan Warrior
Sparta, WI
The Spartan Warrior was created by the FAST Corporation which is the local and world's largest producer of fiberglass statues. This statue is 14 feet tall and was installed at Sparta High School in 1984. [map]

Ben Biken
Sparta, WI
2007:
 2012:
The Ben Biken statue is 30 feet tall, making him the world's largest bicyclist. The statue was built by FAST in 1997 and installed in the middle of town. Sparta is known as the Bicycling Capital of the World. The "Welcome to Sparta" sign disappeared sometime after 2010. [map]

Pioneer
Westfield, WI		 Viking
Whitehall, WI
 Norseman
Westby, WI		 Donut Baker
Eau Claire, WI
This Pioneer statue stands outside the Pioneer Restaurant. He was also made by the FAST Corporation and is complemented by two Giant Oxen nearby. [map]

The Viking statue in Whitehall is installed in front of an Ashley Furniture plant. I'll have to get a daytime photo of this statue sometime. [map]

The Norseman statue was carved in 1999 from a tree that was damaged in a storm. The statue is 12 feet tall and holds a Norwegian flag. These photos are from 2012. A fiberglass replica of the statue was installed in 2014. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The Donut Baker statue was installed at this location around 2000. It was originally installed in front of a bakery in Galesburg, IL which closed. By 2018, a sign shaped like a box of popcorn had been attached to the donut. In 2020, thas sign was removed and the statue was repainted. He now holds temporary signs. The former gas station on the lot where he stands houses Joel's Water Street Auto. [map]

Hamburger Charlie
Seymour, WI
This 12-foot-tall statue of Hamburger Charlie was built to honor Charlie Nagreen who invented the hamburger here in 1885. At the age of 15, Charlie was selling meatball sandwiches at the Seymour Fair. To make the meatballs more transportable, he flattened them and put them between two slices of bread. Seymour is also famous for creating the World's Largest Hamburger in 1999. For a fiberglass replica of it, see this page. For more, see this website. [map]

Farmer Bob
Portage, WI
This statue is known as Farmer Bob. He was built in the 1970s for a cheese and sausage shop which was located where this Mobil station is now. The statue was produced by Creative Displays, the company which preceded FAST Fiberglass. These photos are from 2011. The statue was repainted in 2017. There was another statue like this in Loxley, AL. There's the remote chance that the Loxley statue was reworked at installed here in Portage. The statue is also somewhat similar to these Pizza Chef statues. [map]

Green Bay Packer Receiver
Green Bay, WI		 Big Gust
Grantsburg, WI
This 22-foot-tall fiberglass Green Bay Packer Receiver statue was built in 1985. It was originally located in front of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. It was later moved around town a couple times. In 2005, it was moved to its current location in front of the Titletown Brewing Company. These photos are from 2007. The number 88 on the statue's jersey represented an anonymous player. The statue was repainted in 2013 and the number changed to 80 as a tribute to Donald Driver. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

This life-sized wood carving of Anders Anderson, known to townsfolk as Big Gust, is protected by a glass booth. The statue was created by Alf Olson in 1980. Big Gust was over seven feet tall and a local, legendary figure in the early 1900s. [map]

Plumber [gone]
Janesville, WI
 Golfer
Mequon, WI
This Plumber sculpture was located on the roof of Lyons Mechanical Contractors. This photo is from 2011. The statue was still there in 2015 but gone by 2018.

This Golfer statue has been here since the 1980s. It came from someplace unknown before that. It stands in front of the Nichol Park Golf Range. [map]

Koepsel's Farm Market
Baileys Harbor, WI
Koepsel's Farm Market opened in 1958. These wood chainsaw carved statues stand in front of the store. They represent the store's owners. The statues were produced in 2008 by Jeff Prust. Just a month after these photos were taken in 2011, the statues were destroyed in a storm. Replacements were made by Prust. [map]

Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine
Necedah, WI
The Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine features fourteen religious and patriotic grottos. In 1949, Mary Ann Van Hoof had a vision of the Virgin Mary. When people began making pilgrimages to the site, the first shrine was built. Most of the dioramas with life-sized figures were built in the 1960s and early 1970s. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

More Wisconsin:
Hobo (Belgium) [gone]
Knight (Fairchild)
Atlas (Oshkosh)
Fisherman (Port Washington) [map]
Wrestler (South Milwaukee)
Fisherman (St. Germain)
Fisherman & Trout (Twin Lakes)
Paul Bunyans (various cities)

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