AUBURN, Maine — Auburn's statue of Edward Little, one of Maine's oldest pieces of public artwork, is getting a makeover.
Alan Manoian, the city's economic development specialist, tells the Sun Journal that more than $17,000 has been raised to return the statue to its original gold-bronze color.
The sculpture was ordered by the city in 1873, cast and sculpted in Rome by Maine native Franklin Simmons, and sent on a ship to New York City. From there, it was sent to Auburn via rail. It was unveiled in 1877.
Little was a local attorney and philanthropist who donated the land for the school now known as Edward Little High School.
Manoian says the statue has been damaged by the elements but has also been the target of vandals over the years.