He gazes sadly over the arm of the chair on which sits his head. 

Or do his eyes express the dreamy grandeur we project onto our distant heroes? 

The wooden base supporting the granite head bears a plaque: “Captain Josiah Sawyer, Jan. 27, 1757 ― Mar. 10, 1837. Founder of Sawyerville.” 

The head is in storage, upstairs in the former Congregational Church housing the Eaton Corner Museum. Despite its label, Sharon Moore says it’s not really a likeness of Josiah himself. As I wrote in my January 15th Rachel Writes, Captain Sawyer had a crooked nose. This nose is perfectly straight. 

What about the body? In January, I promised to look for it, come spring, lying somewhere in the bushes. 

Sharon’s sharp rejoinder was, “We know exactly where the body is! And it’s standing up, not lying down.” 

Indeed, it’s standing in the wooded area behind the Eaton Corner Museum’s church. 

I hesitated to reveal its location because of the statue’s sad history of being vandalized. Both Sharon and Daniel Bousquet reported the statue was vandalized at least twice in its previous locations in Sawyerville. It may have been vandalized again since then; the body’s legs are missing, although Sharon recalls seeing at least one leg in the past. 

I wonder what motivated the vandalism. Were the vandals simply partyers from the hotel, whose idea of fun was to smash up a granite statue? 

Hurts and angers of many kinds can find temporary relief in attacking a granite statue. Did the vandals think Josiah Sawyer was a Loyalist; were they expressing Quebec nationalism? 

Actually, as a New Englander, Captain Sawyer fought against the British in the U.S. Civil War. But later, he did succeed in wresting land from the British American Land Company, whose purpose was to encourage British settlers. 

The careers of both Josiah Sawyer and the statue are an interesting aspect of our local history. John Mackley and Daniel Bousquet propose to recuperate this statue and its story. Their idea has received the blessing of the Eaton Corner Musuem’s board, although the Museum cannot finance it.  

In fact, the Museum is busy restoring its outside walls, helped by a new donation of $2000 from the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network. Sharon estimates the whole restoration job will cost $10,000, and invites contributions.