Grayson County TXGenWeb

The Denison Press
Friday, March 5, 1954
pg. 1, 6

Along the News Beat
by the Editor

HERCULES OF MAIN STREET SPEAKS
The giant Hercules man of stone, the head and shoulders of which have been holding up the historic building at Main & Burnett, known in the early days as the Leeper-Bolderick building, is to speak his last word soon. This historic figure, which is the chief corner stone of this building erected...in 1899, and which has such a colorful history from its inception, has a peculiar relation to Denison....the facts of how that huge head and shoulders came to be fashioned have not been given as the late Ed Leeper told this columnator...He asked that we not print the story while he was alive, and we have kept faith with him. He referred to the building as his "hoo-doo" on one occasion.
Few remain who know from where that sone came. None was more surprised than the writer when he told us it came from "Pawpaw Hill." To new comers PawPaw Hill is the high point on the East Main Street highway some three miles out.

Mr. Leeper grew reminiscing in the last five years of his life...A gentleman of the old school, proud and well-bred, he not not care to have the general public know the real story of his experience with his "hoo-doo." called later the Security building.

STONE FACE
The history of stone face as he told us was that the stone was dug from the rocky hills of PawPaw and it require an eight-horse team to draw the big waton on which the rough stone was placed. After the stone arrived, it was shaped for mounting on the southwest corner of the building and was then ready for the sculptor to take over.
Mr. Leeper said that the matter of getting some one to do the sculpture work on the stone was a hard job. None of the men engaged in stone cutting for the tombstone firms could be induced to take the job. The rough stone was, therefore, left in the corner of the building as the bricklayers proceeded with their work. One day a traveling sculptor from France came through. He was an artist, loved his toddy, which in those days could be secured at any one of the some 30 saloons here, and said he would take the job at so much a day.
Ready and anxious to have someone take over, Mr. Leeper said they closed the contract and the Frenchman erected a platform and with a mallet and a chisel, started at the job. At intervals he would dismount and go for a "dram." He worked free-handed and without a chart except for the figure he saw in his head. Scores of "sidewalk sculptors" stood around with their usual comment. some saying it could not be done, and with the most interested party of all - Mr. Leeper - wondering how much the job was going to cost him.
The man kept drawing pay for his toddy and his bed. He ate little and did not care much about his dress - he was just a hobo artist and lived the part. When the job was done the man had about used up his drawing account and the job, according to Mr. Leeper cost the builders some $475.

"Old Stoneface" toppled to its face on May 31 and got the last word when it crushed the sidewalk beneath and crashed partway into the basement. "..."Old Stoneface" was saved by a photographer, Dorothy Fenton, who documented the demolition with her camera. Dorothy...had the sculpture carted to the front yard of her home at 625 West Main Street. Several years later, she moved to Colorado. Local rumor says that the stone carving later was owned by Robert Smith of Robert Smith Construction Company, Ambrose, Texas." (Source : Bryant, Mavis Anne. Lives in Photography : Denison, Texas, 1872 - 1999. pg87)