Gold miner statue arrives, is installed in Cleveland

CLEVELAND - The much-anticipated bronze gold miner statue recognizing the discovery of gold in White County finally has arrived.

The statue, made possible by a donation from Annette Adams of Cleveland in memory of her late husband Gene, was placed on the grounds of the Historic White County Courthouse Museum.

The announcement of the statue donation was made back in January and since then the artist creating it, Gregory Johnson, has been working on the project. The finished product was delivered Tuesday morning.

As workers prepared the base for the placement of the statue, Johnson said, "There's nothing like seeing it in bronze, in the situation, with the landscaping and the beautiful pedestal. It just frames it all with the mountains and the sky in the background - you just don't get the same feeling in the studio."

White County played a major role in the discovery of gold and the largest gold nugget found east of the Mississippi occurred there.

Adams attended the statue placement and expressed her thoughts about getting to this stage of the project.

"Well, I hope it will be a real asset to Cleveland," she said.

Historical Society President Judy Lovell said that organization soon will hold an official dedication ceremony and recognition program for the statue.