Several East Central Indiana counties have erected statues of the comic strip character Garfield. The cartoonist who created him, Jim Davis, donated the artwork as royalty-free statues. As such, most of them are located near his hometown, Marion.
Locations
A "James Dean Garfield", dressed in an open-button collar and denim jeans, was unveiled outside the Fairmount Historical Museum in Fairmount, Indiana, in 2005.
A "College-bound Garfield" was unveiled along the Sweetser Switch Trail in Sweetser, Indiana, in October 2006. Its lower left arm was repaired in 2007 after being cut off.
Marion's first statue, a "Health and Fitness Garfield", dressed in running attire in the colors of Marion High School and carrying a water bottle, was placed along the Mississinewa River in July 2006. Its head was repaired after it fell off when a man hugged it too tightly. During the Oktoberfest celebrations in 2009, City officials moved the statue to Matters Park.
Marion's second statue, a "Doctor Garfield" wearing surgical scrubs, holding a stethoscope and resting one foot on a first aid kit, was unveiled at Marion General Hospital on May 11, 2007. It was funded by hospital staff members.
A "Speedkings Garfield" dressed in a #9 jersey, representing the number of overtime periods played in the record-setting basketball game against Liberty Center in 1964, was erected on Washington Street in Swayzee, Indiana in June 2008.
A "Firefighter Garfield" was erected on 7 W Street in Jonesboro, Indiana, in 2009 to commemorate the city establishing the first organized fire department in the county.
A "Gas Worker Garfield" with a derrick reminiscent of the natural gas boom at the turn of the 19th century was installed in front of the local library in Gas City, Indiana, in May 2011.
A statue of Garfield dressed in a British redcoat was erected outside Payne's restaurant in Gas City.