Sandusky in Erie County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Boy with the Boot

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019

1. The Boy with the Boot Marker

Inscription. The Boy with the Boot is the official symbol of the City of Sandusky. This statue is a replica of the 1895 original which stood in this fountain for many years. Produced by the J. W. Fiske Ironworks, New York City, the historic statue is now in the atrium of the City Building. The Toledo Area Sculptors’ Guild created this copy from the original in 1992.

Erected by The Old House Guild of Sandusky.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Landmarks. A significant historical year for this entry is 1895.

Location. 41° 27.272′ N, 82° 42.704′ W. Marker is in Sandusky, Ohio, in Erie County. It is on West Washington Street (U.S. 6) east of Jackson Street, on the right when traveling east. It is in Washington Park in front of the Erie County courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sandusky OH 44870, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Ohio’s Lake Erie Shore

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the

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Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: “The Early Birds” (a few steps from this marker); Sandusky / Erie County (a few steps from this marker); The Beecher House (within shouting distance of this marker); Jury of Erie County Women / Erie County Courthouse (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Odd Fellows Building (about 300 feet away); Old Sandusky Post Office (about 400 feet away); Veterans Memorial Park (about 400 feet away); Gold Star Families Memorial (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sandusky.

Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia entry for The Boy with the Leaking Boot. Excerpts:

The Boy with the Leaking Boot is a statue showing a young boy, with a bare right foot, holding up his right boot and looking at it. The statue is about 4 feet tall, and in many cases forms a fountain, with water emerging from
Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019

2. “The Boy with the Boot” in Sandusky, Ohio
the toe of the boot. There are at least 24, and reportedly “hundreds” of examples. The origins of the statue are obscure. The boy is reported to be a young Italian newspaper seller who drowned, or an American army drummer-boy who carried water in his leaking boot to help fallen comrades, or a young fire-fighter either using his boot in a bucket chain or emptying his boot after an incident, or possibly none of these. The statue has also been called The Boy with the Leaky Boot, Boy Immigrant and Unfortunate Boot.
...
... the “original” statues were cast in “white metal” (zinc) by a process of “slurry casting”...a process quite different from lost wax casting methods.
...
Among the earliest statues is that in Sandusky, Ohio, where it stood in front of the Porter House hotel on the shore of Lake Erie. The original zinc statue was brought from Germany in 1876 by a prominent local couple, Mr and Mrs Voltaire Scott. After cyclone damage and several incidences of vandalism, the statue was moved to the lobby of the local City Hall, and a replacement bronze was installed in a fountain in Washington
Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019

3. “The Boy with the Leaky Boot” in Sandusky, Ohio
He is holding a leaky boot that dribbles a continuous stream of water.
Park.
...

(Submitted on October 29, 2019.)

2. The Story of “The Boy with the Leaking Boot”. This archived set of web pages from the United Kingdom has photographs of many Boys with the Leaking Boot. (Submitted on October 29, 2019.)

The Boy with the Boot Fountain, Sandusky Ohio image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019

4. The Boy with the Boot Fountain, Sandusky Ohio

The fountain is the centerpiece of Washington Park. The Erie County Courthouse is in the distance.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019

5. The Boy with the Boot Fountain, Sandusky Ohio

Credits. This page was last revised on May 24, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 907 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 29, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.