Luzerne County dedicates deer statue

WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo along with several other local leaders held a dedication ceremony Sunday afternoon on the courthouse lawn in honor of the county’s iconic life-size deer statue, which has captured the hearts and minds of visitors and residents for over a century.

The commemoration was held just days ahead of 158th anniversary of when the sculpture was built on July 31, 1866, and as such, the deer, lovingly referred to as the Courthouse Deer, sported a happy birthday hat to mark the upcoming occasion.

The oldest sculpture in the city, the cast iron deer was restored back in 2021 and has long been a photo hotspot for residents — according to previous Times Leader reporting, the oldest known photo of someone posing with the statue dates back to 1910.

The deer’s reputation as a local celebrity began in 1888, when a local reporter Ernest Hanson began a newspaper column featuring the statue, in which the deer would give its opinions on various matters concerning Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding areas.

Since then, the statue has remained a local touchstone, connecting generations of residents. That common thread was just one of the reasons Crocamo decided to put the ceremony together.

“The deer statue serves as a symbol of resilience, adaptability, and the enduring spirit of our community. Just as the deer gracefully stood in this urban landscape, finding solace amidst a bustling city, this statue stands as a reminder that you too can find strength and beauty in the most expected,” Crocamo said.

Several members of the Luzerne County Council attended the ceremony, including Chair John Lombardo, who presented a proclamation from council proclaiming July 31 Luzerne County Deer Day.

Also in attendance where Wilkes-Barre City Council Member and Preservation Society Director Tony Brooks, who has amassed a collection of over 100 photographs featuring people through the decades posing with the deer, and state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, who led everyone in singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the statue.

Along with Crocamo, Andrea Lowery, executive director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and Melanie Akren-Dickson, author of ‘Conversations with the Court House Deer,’ spoke about the deer’s history and its enduring legacy.

History of the Courthouse Deer

There are conflicting reports of how exactly the Courthouse Deer came to be.

As both Lowery and Akren-Dickson explained during their remarks, the deer was erected by Robert Wood and Company of Philadelphia, which was hired in 1866 to build an iron fence around the third Luzerne County Courthouse, which was then located on Public Square.

At least one article stated that the deer was merely a bonus gift, thrown in by the company — others said that the the county overpaid for the fence and the deer was provided to make up the difference.

However, Akren-Dickson said the real reason for the deer’s existence was probably rather mundane and far less scandalous.

She pointed to an article in the now defunct Luzerne Union newspaper, which stated that Robert Wood and Company “presented the county commissioners with cast iron deer as an ornament for the courthouse grounds and a number of paperweights of the office in the shape of bull frogs of iron.”

“I would love to know if any of those still exist,” she laughed.

The deer was eventually moved to its present day location on River Street on June of 1909.

The sculpture gained notoriety in the late 1888s when English reporter Ernest Hanson, writing for the News Dealer, began a column where he ‘interviewed’ the Courthouse Deer.

“He had a very distinctive tone and I think it was probably because of his British-ness. It was a very dry wit,” Akren-Dickson explained. “The column allowed him, through the deer, to say what maybe he would’ve liked to have said about all the local politicians.”

Enduring Legacy

The Courthouse Deer has been through a lot.

As Lowery explained, the local landmark has had at least one antler replaced and his feet repaired. Over the years, he’s been refinished and repainted.

But for Lowery, its not just these physical “scars” that make the deer unique.

“This deer represents an invisible thread and ties us to those who came before into future generations. He’s not a bystander, but an active participant in the areas of public life.”