Bates County,  Missouri

“Back in the early 1870-1890’s… Butlerites were building those large two and a half story homes with wide verandas and towers all decorated with gingerbread trim and setting them on spacious lawns which gave the village that charming Victorian air.

Along with the fancy trim on the houses they usually added ornate hitching posts, mounting blocks, wrought iron fences…and a statue of a deer or a lamb.  But Butler had three such homes that added the statue of a dog.

One was in the Capt. Flavius Tygard yard at 117 West Pine street. This one is the best preserved of the three, protected as it was by a wrought iron fence which kept the youngsters of the community from marring.  While reputed to be a dog it looks more like a lion to most folks.

We understand the three statues were the work of the mason who carved the stone used in the courthouse which was built in 1869-1870.  Carving such statues was his hobby.  It seems that he used native stone, the same he quarried for the courthouse and one of the dogs at least was hued from blue stone which was often found in Bates County’s stone quarries.

The second dog was on the front lawn of the Hiram Wyatt home.  Hiram was the father of Pratt Wyatt of Wyatt Boyd Lumber Company…It is either a shepherd or hunting dog, being hard to tell as it was marred by the neighborhood children in their play…it was carved from blue stone.

The third dog was on the front lawn of old Charley Lewis home…which was destroyed by fire…The front yard was decorated with two lovely urns, while the brick walk which ran to the street was guarded by the stone dog – a bull dog – no doubt about that one.  When Charley died…the stone dog went along where yet today he guards the grave of his master.”

Source:  BatesCounty News Headliner, January 17, 1974, “Historical Notes”.