A shiny new eagle lands along Rt. 100

August 27, 2020  |  By Luke Zarzecki

With a wingspan nearly 25 feet, Martin McGowan's eagle is a striking sight along Rt. 100 in Waterbury Center. Photo by Gordon Miller.

Travelers on Route 100 in Waterbury Center are noticing a new addition to the scenic view with a new shiny sculpture of an eagle that’s recently replaced the galloping metal horse — both created by Martin McGowan from Newark, Vt.

Both sculptures were born out of American crises. The horse was constructed during the market crash of 2008 when McGowan was commissioned to construct the metallic animal. The commission fell through when the buyer was short on cash and it eventually ended up on display along Rt. 100. 

McGowan recently finished the eagle sculpture which has taken the horse’s place. The horse now has been installed in Shelburne at the Shelburne Green commercial park along U.S. Route 7.  

McGowan said his eagle came out of inspiration from folks across Vermont and the country, coming together to help each other once the pandemic hit. 

“There were a lot of stories about people doing a lot of good things, like donating masks, and it made me feel patriotic,” McGowan said. “It was my way of trying to do something.” 

While the galloping steed was made of scrap steel that had oxidized to a rusty brown, the eagle is eye-catching as light hits the chrome pieces that McGowan harvested from mostly bumpers from old cars. The shinier pieces originated from 1950s- and 1960s-era cars when manufacturers used chrome, he explained.

McGowan doesn’t see that shine going away anytime soon since they’ve lasted this long. The rustier-colored pieces are mostly scrap metal, he said. 

McGowan said he didn’t weigh the piece, but he estimated the eagle’s weight somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds. Its wingspan is just under 25 feet and stands 8 to 9 feet tall. 

It sits in a gravel turnoff above the Waterbury Reservoir with Camel’s Hump off in the distance. It’s not uncommon to see motorists slow down for a better look or to pull off to snap a photo.

That’s how Shelburne Green owner Graham Goldsmith said he came upon the 12-foot-tall galloping mustang sculpture that occupied the spot previously. Goldsmith, an architect, said he drove past the horse and was immediately struck by the scale of the sculpture and its energy. He decided to buy it and put it on the green at the business park in Shelburne. 

“My idea [was] to have it in a rolling meadow back from Rt. 7 and have it galloping through wildflowers in a hayfield,” he said. 

Goldsmith’s vision came together two weeks ago when the statue was installed in its new home where patrons of Fiddlehead Brewery and Folino’s Pizza and other neighboring businesses can enjoy it.

For McGowan, the spot along Rt. 100 on a friend’s property has been a success so far for exhibiting his work. The 55-year-old Vermont artist said he has been trying to make his passion for making sculptures a career for the past 25 years. A graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, McGowan said he aims to pay the bills through commissions for sculptures, with income from odd jobs as a carpenter and welder. 

“Sometime before I die, maybe it’ll be a full-time gig for me,” McGowan said. “I don’t have any plans of ever stopping doing it. It’s definitely what I do.” 

As for the eagle, it’s currently for sale for $40,000. McGowan is open to other commissions as well and can be contacted at martinmcgowansculpture@gmail.com. 

Community News Service is a collaboration with the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.