ASHLAND - The Mothers' Memorial celebrated its 75th anniversary last year, and now it's time for a well-needed makeover to get it back in shape.
The bronze statue and the granite base at Welcome Home Plaza at Hoffman Boulevard and Chestnut Street will be restored in order to remove the effects of weathering over the years.
Ashland Mummers Club member Adam J. Bernodin III, who was an instrumental part in securing a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historical marker in honor of the Ashland Boys' Association, is working with the club, Schuylkill Area Community Foundation and the Borough of Ashland to get the restoration work done this year.
The entire project will cost $8,600, with a major portion of the funds coming from the donation of $6,000 from the Ashland Mummers Club.
"The natural wear and age of the protective black wax coating on the green patina is starting to deteriorate on the statue," Bernodin said. "This prompted the $6,000 donation towards the Mothers' Memorial Restoration Project from the Ashland Mummers Club to Schuylkill Area Community Foundation, which is the statue caretaker."
While the foundation maintains the site, including the landscaping, the borough owns the memorial. The last time restoration work was done at the memorial was in 2002.
"Maintaining outdoor sculptures can be a very challenging problem and expensive," he said. "Back in 2002, it cost the borough $5,800, and now in 2014, it's going to cost an estimated $8,600 to restore the statue. We need to take a proactive approach on the Mothers' Memorial's preservation plans for the future."
The restoration work in 2002 was done by ART Research Enterprises Inc., Lancaster, which has been retained to do the work this year.
"The Mothers' Memorial was cast by John Spring back in 1938 at the Bedford Bronze Foundry in the Long Island City section of Queens, New York City," Bernodin said. "The Ashland Boys' Association had chosen bronze because of its permanency and better appearance, and proudly, Ashland is the only town in the world to have the bronze replica of 'Whistler's Mother' honoring mothers."
The bronze statue is modeled after James McNeil Whistler's "An Arrangement in Gray and Black, No. 1: The Mother," but popularly known as "Whistler's Mother."
The following is the contractor's breakdown of the $8,600 restoration work:
- Treatment of bronze sculpture "Whistler's Mother" - cleaning of sculpture with non-ionic detergent and water to remove any dirt and to apply a hot wax treatment. The borough will need to provide a water source. Two to three conservators will be doing the treatment. Cost will be $5,800.
- Treatment of granite base - clean granite surface with non-ionic detergent, rinse and a poultice solvent will be used to remove heavy incrustation, but there still will be some ghosting of the graffiti left after the treatment. Cost will be $2,800.
Bernodin said $2,600 in donations are needed to make up the difference between the $6,000 donated by the club and the total cost of $8,600.
"The Ashland Boys' Association state historical marker states in its history that the Mothers' Memorial symbolizes the abiding affection for family and community felt here and the industrial United States. Please contribute to restore our unique reflection on what our current and former residents of Ashland are all about," Bernodin said.
INFO BOX
Checks should be made payable to the Schuylkill Area Community Foundation. In the memo line, write "Mothers Memorial Restoration." Donations should be mailed to: Schuylkill Area Community Foundation, Mothers' Memorial Restoration Project, 216 S. Centre St., Pottsville, PA 17901