The Story Behind the Peter Britt Statue

Posted Oct 08, 2008 at 04:07 PM in General, Behind The Scenes

If you've been to Britt in the past couple of seasons, you've probably seen this statue near the entrance to the park. It's, of course, a depiction of Britt Festivals' namesake, Peter Britt. Britt was a Swiss immigrant who arrived in Jacksonville in 1852. He began taking portraits and panoramic landscapes for 44 years beginning in 1856.

While Britt is best remembered for capturing the landscape of Jacksonville's early history on film, local business owner Jeff Levin, of MacLevin's Whole Foods Restaurant in Jacksonville, along with other residents, felt that photos did not accurately portray the character of their favorite pioneer. They decided to commission a statue of Peter Britt with his camera, eight years ago (2000).

Initial depictions of Britt, created with the help of historic photographs, portrayed him in his trademark frock coat, hat and beard, standing next to a box camera on a tripod. Levin began a campaign in January 2004 to raise $10,000 for a statue of Peter Britt, with hopes of having it in place by the Britt Festivals season, that June.

Levin and others soon realized that it was going to be challenging to raise the money necessary to have the statue erected. In addition to the original $10,000, another $3,000 was needed for a concrete base, bronze plaque (which was later stolen and has yet to be replaced) and other incidentals. Originally, they were only accepting donations of $500 or more, when the project was several thousands of dollars short, they began accepting any donations they received, and were able to meet their financial goal.

Levin commissioned Yreka artist Ralph Starrit for the creation of the statue, which would be placed on the Britt grounds near the original homestead of the photographer and entrepreneur-a fitting tribute for someone who preserved the majority of the town's history through photography.

It took Starrit one year (working on and off) to complete the statue. Starrit realized that the 7-foot statue was different than most people would envision, but says that his style is unique and, "when people first look at it, they kind of don't know what to think. Then as they look at it, it kind of grows on you." The statue itself is made of metal, mostly from recycled materials. He had multiple pictures of Peter Britt and fuly immersed himself in Jacksonville's history for inspiration. When designing the statue, he decided to make it stylized, but made sure to keep the likeness of Peter Britt. Starrit is still very pleased with the statue, but disappointed that the plaque that was once in front of it was stolen a couple years ago and has not been replaced.

Starrit has been a sculptor for over 30 years and resides in Yreka, California. He is currently working on a dragon to be displayed somewhere between Medford and Ashland.

Written by Kirsten Agard and Krissy Rowan, Marketing Assistant

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