What started out in 2004 as a simple photo shoot for Weird Ohio has turned into a personal obsession of mine. Sent to Sandusky, Ohio, to take write a story and photos of a statue known as The Boy with the Boot, I was immediately struck with the complete lack of solid, verifiable information about the statue, such as who made it or what the statue was even supposed to represent…other than a boy with a boot.
Add to this the fact that copies of this statue can be found all over the world (where it is sometimes referred to as The Boy with the Leaking Boot) and it wasn’t long before I was obsessed with all things related to this enigmatic statue.
The following is just a small sample of some of the Boy with the Boot memorabilia I have collected over the years:
Hershey’s Trading Card (Hershey, PA)
Card #42 in a 100-card set released by Dart Flipcards to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of Hershey’s. You can read more information about the card and the set by clicking here.
Metal Statue (Hershey, PA)
The sticker on the base of the statue reads: “Boy with the leaking boot – Hershey – PA”. While the sticker is clearly not original, it does appear as though whoever painted the statue used the Hershey, PA version as a model. I say this because, to date, the Hershey statue is the only one I’ve found that has the boy’s shirt painted blue.
Tabletop Statue
Unknown manufacturing date. Markings on bottom of base are as follows:
Boy with the Leaking Boot
Pierce Park, Houlton, Maine
Made possible by a donation of Clara Frisbie in 1914, the fountain was purchased from J.L. Mott Iron Works in New York State. The statue is no longer available, but as of 1975, there were approximately 26 similar statues throughout the world. Houlston is one of the only places where you’ll find the statue installed in a drinking fountain.
Catherine Karnes Munn collection
Exclusively Commissioned by Country North Gifts
Christmas Ornament
Small etched glass ornament (you kind of need to stare at it for a few seconds in order to see the Boy). Unknown which statue this is supposed to be, although it’s clearly one that was used as a fountain as there is water coming from the boot. Unknown manufacturer or date, although the small red “Merry Christmas” box ornament is housed inside of has “1993” handwritten along the bottom.
Pewter Plate
Other than it’s depicting the Sandusky, Ohio statue, not much is known about the manufacturer of this plate. There are 5 distinct marks on the back of the plate, though:
- 2 circles (one small, one large), both with “rWp” inside them
- 2 circles (one small, one large), both with a strange r-shaped symbol inside them
- One line reading: “Wilton, Columbia, PA”
Cleethorpes Ceramic Plate
Ceramic plate depicting the Cleethorpes, England statue. No date or other markings on the back of the place.
Cleethorpes Pin
Weird little enamel and metal pin that features the Cleethorpes statue. What makes the pin weird is that it is apparently one designed for a local group, Charlie Lima, that is involved with amateur short wave radio communications, which is often referred to as DX or DXing (“DX” being telegraphic shorthand for “distant”). No additional information is known about the pin.
China Plates
Two different-sized plates, each with the same design and depicting the “Washington Park” Boy with the Boot statue in Sandusky, Ohio. Plates have no other markings or manufacturer stamps.
Needlepoint Template
Looks homemade and the image appears to be painted/drawn on. Other than the “D.K. Needlepoint Shop” that repeats around the outside border, there’s a “#14” written in pencil on the bottom right. No other information is known about the piece.
Thimble
Back of the thimble says:
The Boy With The Leaking Boot
Cleethorpes
Boy with the Leaking Boot Postcard: Houlton, Maine
Undated postcard depicting the statue in Houlton, Maine. Back of the postcard reads as follows:
The “BOY WITH THE LEAKING BOOT”, one of about 25 such statues in the world, stands in the fountain in Monument Park, Houlton, Maine. Origin and sculptor are unknown. The fountain was installed in 1916; purchased with the bequest of Mrs. Clara P. Frisbie.
Boy with His Leaking Boot Postcard: Willingford, Vermont (shadow)
I have two versions of what appears to essentially be the same postcard; this one, which appears to be the older of the two, and the one below. I refer to the one above as “shadow” due to the statue casting a pronounced shadow behind it which is not visible in the “no shadow” version. Another noticeable difference it that they seem to be shot from slightly different angles and the dirty water from the fountain appears to have stained the right side of the statue (especially the pants and leg/foot).Copy on the back of this undated postcard reads as follows:
“The Boy with his Leaking Boot” Willingford, Vermont. This famous landmark is located on the lawn of beautiful Wallingford Inn, Wallingford, Vermont. The origin is debatable, but it was erected 1898 as the village watering trough and moved to its present location in 1927 to make room for the model T’s.
Boy with His Leaking Boot Postcard: Willingford, Vermont (no shadow)
This postcard looks to be the newer version of the “no shadow” version postcard (see above). While the picture on the front is clearly a different shot (and the statue itself appears to have been repainted/repaired), the copy on the back of this undated card is exactly the same as the “no shadow” version:
“The Boy with his Leaking Boot” Willingford, Vermont. This famous landmark is located on the lawn of beautiful Wallingford Inn, Wallingford, Vermont. The origin is debatable, but it was erected 1898 as the village watering trough and moved to its present location in 1927 to make room for the model T’s.
Boy with the Boot Statue (stamp)
I have two versions of this statue, the only difference being that this version has a code written/stamped on the bottom of the statue’s right foot. The stamp reads “KW60/560”.
Boy with the Boot Statue (no stamp)
2nd version of this statue. It is identical to the “stamped” version with the exception being that there is no stamp or other marking on the bottom of this statue.
True West Magazine
February 1981 issue of True West magazine, which contains a 6-page article about the Boy with the Leaking Boot, including a story that states the statue is based on a Civil War story about a young boy carrying water to the battlefield in his boot in order to help wounded soldiers.
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There is a fountain in Wellsville ohio, along the Ohio River with a boy holding a leaky boot.
I found a page of the catalog from J. L. Mott Company, New York. use in Santa Clara, Cuba to buy the statue in 1925.
Amazing! Any chance you could scan it for me? Do they give the statue a name? How do they refer to it?
I have a Boy with the Boot statue if you’re interested.
Of course I am! Let me know the specifics so I can make sure I don’t have a version of it in my collection already. What’s it made out of and what are the approximate dimensions? It a pic?
Here is a picture. He is 30″ tall and the base is 10″ wide. I believe he’s made of concrete but I’m not sure. Sent from my iPhone
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Please let me know if the picture sent and if you’re interested. The picture didn’t post to this feed but it is showing through email. We live in Huron, Ohio (right oustside of Sandusky) if you are interested.
It doesn’t look like the pic made it through. It does sound like an outdoor statue like the one I have outside my house. I’ll take a pic of that and post it here to see if it’s the same one that you have.
If you provide me with your emailing can email a picture. For some reason I can’t post a picture on here. It is an outdoor statue
I live in Cleethorpes and it is 100 years since our boy was erected. I am researching for a small exhibition in the Town Hall on Heritage Open Day in September. i found your site very interesting and will include memorabilia in the article, I especially liked card 42, Hersheys.
Dianne, thanks for the note! Always wonderful to meet fellow Boy with the Boot fans, especially ones from across the pond, as it were! You might also find it interesting that the vast majority of US statues do not mention “leaking”. Cleethorpes is one of the few locations to retain the “leaking” bit.
Thanks again for the note and keep me posted on your Heritage Open Day. Sounds like you might be having some Boy memorabilia I can add to my collection!
Hi, Did you receive a copy of the original catalogue paper? We have a few pages, purchased with a large J L Mott catalogue. The most interesting one is The boy with the Boot!
No, I never did! Where did you find such a treasure?
Hi. I have a small pewter version with the numbers 203 on the bottom. Have you ever seen one?
I have not! I do have several pewter versions of the statue, but none have any numbers on the bottom. Are the numbers etched into the bottom or drawn on?
Hello! Anyone still checking in here? I have a Boy with the Leaking Boot item, if interested. Please let me know. Thank you
Yup, still here and always interested in adding new Boy pieces. Let me know what you have!
Hello, how does one send photos? Do you purchase boot boy items? thanks
Indeed I do purchase Boy with the Boot items (Leaking or otherwise). It’s really just a matter of if I have one of the items in my collection yet (I have a bit of an obsession with the Boy). Easiest way to send photos is to just drop them into an email to me: jim@strangeandspooky.com