BUFFALO, NY (WBFO) - Jamestown Police are looking for the whereabouts of a 500-600-lb. statue memorializing the Underground Railroad.
Jamestown Police said Parks Department employees reported the copper statue missing Monday morning from its home in Dow Park. The statue, one of three entitled "Underground Railroad Tableau" by sculptor David Poulin, represents the path to freedom through Jamestown to Canada.
The missing statue is that of "Tom," a runaway slave in torn clothing, his hand outstretched toward another statue, that of Catherine Harris. Harris and her father were the first "colored" people in Jamestown when they moved there from Pennsylvania in 1831. Nearby is a plaque, describing a reward of $150 for Tom's return.
The third statue in the tableau is that of Silas Sherman, an active leader in the Underground Railroad effort who also lived in Jamestown.
Police said the missing statue is valued at upwards of $2,000. They suspect it was taken sometime between Thursday and Monday, and are checking area video.
Anyone with information on the theft is asked to contact them at 483-7537. Anonymous tips can also be left at the Jamestown Police Tips Line, 483-8477 (TIPS), and will be kept confidential.