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Thieves take piece of village history

OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms The naked cherub on top of one of the historic fountains in Fredonia is missing.

It did not take Robert Booth long to notice Thursday that something was missing from the top of the West Barker Common historic fountain.

Booth, who is a sculptor and restored both historic fountains in 1991, reported to Fredonia village officials during that day the 3-foot cherub, which is about 18 to 24 inches wide, was missing.

“It’s a big piece,” he told the OBSERVER in a phone interview.

On Friday, village police were asking for the public’s assistance in locating the missing item. In a news release issued by the department, it was reported the portion of the fountain was removed by two subjects at approximately 2:20 a.m. Thursday. The subjects came from the West side of the park and fled in the same direction.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Fredonia Police Department at (716) 679-1531.

According to a 2016 article authored by Douglas Shepard and Wendy Straight, the fountains were donated in 1900 to Fredonia’s downtown parks by Charles Leroy Mark. Mark was known for contributing goods for refugees from slavery.

A grant to improve Barker Common, which was approved by the Village Board, included restoring the two decorative fountains and having them recycle water.

This is not the first time the fountain has been vandalized. In 1997, the stolen portion of the fountain was recovered in December by village police after it was removed in October of that year. However, the head of the cherub had to be resculpted by Booth since that portion was not returned.

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