The restoration of the Dorothy Blair Manson Eagle, posted at the entrance to the Shrewsbury Historical Society on Shrewsbury Ave and Route 35, has been completed in time for special honors for Veterans Day, 2022.
Society President Donald Burden in reviewing the known history of the sculpture, it once adorned a building of the A. Hall and Sons Terra Cotta Company in Perth Amboy.
The company was the prominent terra cotta producer in the United States in the 19th century. It was famous for creating much of the intricate ornamentation found on many of the businesses in New York City and elsewhere.
The eagle at the Historical Society is terra cotta with a porcelain glaze and weights in excess of 800 pounds. It rests upon a pedestal weighing more than 1500 pounds.
It was relocated from the garden at former Shrewsbury Mayor Dorothy Blair Manson’s home on Buttonwood Drive. She originally purchased it from a local antique dealer. Manson served the borough as Mayor from 1979 to 1990.
Members of The Manson family gifted and dedicated the statue at the borough’s Community Day Celebration in October 2014. At the time it needed some minor repairs. Weather related issues hounded the eagle to the point it was necessary for a major restoration using a variety of epoxies, plasters, and high quality paints.
Now the Mason eagle will proudly hold court in its prominent position overlooking the Shrewsbury Historical Society and the Shrewsbury Municipal Complex.
