Lions in Pittsfield

November's I Spy

by Sally Bjork

posted 12/4/2012

"Love those lions!!" writes Joyce Mallory about November's feature. "I've always found it interesting that such a regal statue was placed at a very ordinary location," comments Ellen Abramson. It's "one of the lions that flank the entrance to Gross Rd. in Pittsfield, MI," offers Sharon Mason from Sylvania, Ohio. They're "oddly placed," says Shannon Kohlitz; "in the shadow of U.S. 23" adds Neal Laurence. "I've wondered what they're guarding," writes Alan Traxler. Pamela Sinclair suggests "A park? A grand estate? The entrance to Oz?"

Mister Beni relays some interesting tidbits about these lions, some obtained from the Observer's "Question Corner" in April 2006. "The lion ... is one of several purchased in Grayling during the late 1920s or early 1930s by dairy farmer Frank E. King (1876-1963) and his son Forest E. King (1913-2003) who installed a pair of them at their 'Carpenter's Corner' (Packard & Carpenter) farm during the 1930s, directly across from their Gross Road farmhouse." They also placed others around town, but these are the only ones known to remain.

Our winner, drawn at random from thirty-one correct entries is Mary Keeley. She will enjoy her $25 gift certificate at The Original Cottage Inn.

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To enter this month's contest, use the photo and clue above to identify the scene, then follow the instructions at the bottom of the page.   

[Originally published in December, 2012.]