Courthouse statues deteriorating

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Three stone statues are slowly disintegrating after 140 years of looking down on those entering a southwestern Indiana courthouse.

The statues each stand more than 9 feet tall on ledges along the exterior walls of the Knox County Courthouse in Vincennes. The faces and other features have worn away from the likenesses of Revolutionary War figure George Rogers Clark and a 19th century U.S. soldier.

County Councilman Tim Crowley says the statues look weathered and sad.

Decades of exposure to the weather and acid from pigeon droppings have been blamed for the statue decay.

Crowley says county officials should look at repairing or replacing the statues but doesn’t know what they can afford to do.