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Barefoot Mailman Restoration Fund

Presiding over the waterfront of Hillsboro Inlet Light Station in Pompano Beach, FL is a silent, mysterious figure who was desperately in need of replacement.

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Barefoot Mailman Restoration Fund

Barefoot Mailman Restoration Fund

Barefoot Mailman Restoration Fund

Barefoot Mailman Restoration Fund

Barefoot Mailman Restoration Fund

Presiding over the waterfront of Hillsboro Inlet Light Station in Pompano Beach, FL is a silent, mysterious figure who was desperately in need of replacement.

Presiding over the waterfront of Hillsboro Inlet Light Station in Pompano Beach, FL is a silent, mysterious figure who was desperately in need of replacement.

Presiding over the waterfront of Hillsboro Inlet Light Station in Pompano Beach, FL is a silent, mysterious figure who was desperately in need of replacement.

Presiding over the waterfront of Hillsboro Inlet Light Station in Pompano Beach, FL is a silent, mysterious figure who was desperately in need of replacement.

Stephen Hoczak
Stephen Hoczak
Stephen Hoczak
Stephen Hoczak
1 Campaign |
Pompano Beach, United States
$353 USD 10 backers
7% of $5,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society seeks funds to complete Barefoot Mailman statue replacement campain

In 1973, the ten-foot-tall stone statue by artist Frank Varga was erected in front of The Barefoot Mailman restaurant in Hillsboro Beach, FL. When the restaurant went out of business, the town moved the statue in front of the Town Hall. In 2003, the statue was moved to the Hillsboro Inlet Light Station, where it suffered at the hands of Mother Nature and the occasional vandal.

Nearly 40 years of exposure to the  elements left the statue in dreadful condition, with broken fingers, a broken heel, chipping concrete and peeling paint plaguing the statue. Vandals broke off the statue’s dagger, inflicting nearly irreparable damage to the monument.

The Project

To preserve the memory and commemorate the careers of the Barefoot Mailmen, and to honor the “legend” of the most famous Barefoot Mailman of all, Ed Hamilton, the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society (HLPS) has  created a campaign and fund to replace the concrete statue with a bronze version of the same.

Mr. Varga consented to rebuild the statue in bronze, molded the same as that has been in front of Town Hall at 1210 Hillsboro Mile, and agreed to do the project at the same cost as his bronze done in 1998 for the cost of $30,000.  The cost of moving and installing the bronze on a granite pedestal is $15,000.  HLPS has repeatedly attempted to secure National and State Historical Funds, but they have been drastically cut and no funding is available at this time.

Cultural Value to the Light Station

This monument, properly restored, will remain at the Lighthouse for many years.  The lighthouse property is on the National Register of Historic Places and visited by thousands from all over the world yearly.  HLPS, Inc., founded in 1997, was created and has always been managed by volunteers of the community, and considers restoration of this statue one of our very important efforts toward maintaining the history of the Hillsboro Lighthouse property.

Your Gift

Despite a massive marketing blitz, and pleas to our membership, this project is still over $13,000 short of funding.  Please consider helping with our restoration, as the Barefoot Mailman desperately needs your help.  Donors giving $25 will be recognized in the “Big Diamond”, the HLPS newsletter, and a bronze plaque honoring the names of donors of $500 and more will be placed at the site.  In addition, your contribution is recognized as tax deductable since HLPS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

Your gift, no matter how large or small, will help to preserve this vital part of our history.

Project Status

As the bright sun cast a shadow of the 105-year old lighthouse on the Hillsboro Inlet Light Station, dozens of HLPS members and lighthouse buffs gathered with anticipation as a tribute to the Barefoot Mailman was unveiled in the form of a heroic-sized bronze statue. Broward County dignitaries, including Hillsboro Beach Mayor Dan Dodge, were on hand to commemorate the legacies of 19th century postal workers who traversed the beaches between Palm Beach and Miami, delivering the mail along the 68-mile route.

Delray Beach’s Frank Varga was the sculptor on the Barefoot Mailman statue, depicting the barefoot mailman in rolled-up pants and a postal service hat, with a satchel and machete adorning his right side. There’s also the mailman’s lightweight canvas sack, the result of Varga’s attention to detail and understanding that Barefoot Mailmen didn’t have to use the standard USPS cowhide version.

The 8-foot tall statue on its 5-foot tall black galaxy granite pedestal was met with huge applause as the tarp was lifted, and for the first time the public was able to view the statue overlooking the Hillsboro Inlet.

Varga was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1943 and has lived in Belgium, France, Italy, Canada and now the United States. After serving an apprenticeship with his father, Professor Ferenc Varga, an internationally acclaimed sculptor, he received a scholarship to study at the Academia di Belle Arte in Florence, Italy. He worked under Florence's great sculptor, Antonio Berti, whose works are found in the Vatican National Museum Collection, establishing the beginnings of Frank Varga's international reputation. After receiving his Doccumento di Arte from the Accademia di Belle Arte Florence Italy in 1964, he returned to the United States to continue his association with his father and earned a B.A. in Fine Arts from Honolulu University.

Varga is responsible for many notable bronze projects throughout the country and the world, including a bust of Nicolaus Copernicus in Detroit, a metallic art relief of JFK at the White House, a cast bronze relief of Danny Thomas at the St. Jude’s Research Hospital in Memphis, and life-size statues of many of notable historic figures such as Enrico Caruso, St. Anthony, Colonel Michael Kovats and General Casimir Pulaski.  He created the original Barefoot Mailman Statue nearly 40 years ago, and spoke about the legacy of the Barefoot Mailman and the sculpture.   “It is such an honor to work on these types of projects,” said Varga. “Replacing the ailing Athena stone statue was inevitable, but it is so very special to be a part of the ceremony as pieces are unveiled. This is a huge thrill for me as a sculptor and local resident.”

History records very little about what actually happened to James Edward Hamilton, the most famous of all of the Barefoot Mailmen, who disappeared from his appointed duties sometime during the night of October 11, 1887. Newspaper accounts suggest that Hamilton drowned and was swept out to sea, or was taken by an alligator or crocodile while trying to swim across the Hillsboro Inlet to retrieve his rowboat.  Others believe that he may have faked his own death, or that he was a victim of foul play.  Hamilton's story was adapted into a 1943 novel, followed by a 1951 movie, and the mystery remains to this day.

“This is why this statue is such a fitting tribute to Ed Hamilton and the Barefoot Mailmen,“ said HLPS Barefoot Mailman Committee Chairperson and former Hillsboro Beach Mayor Carmen McGarry.  “It honors the dedication of the men who braved all kinds of challenges in delivering the mail along the eastern coast of Florida, and reaffirms HLPS’s commitment to preserving the Hillsboro Inlet Light Station and the Hillsboro Lighthouse for future generations.”

HLPS President Art Makenian concurred with McGarry, saying “Frank Varga has captured the essence of the Barefoot Mailman in his sculpture and we are proud to have been able to once again display HLPS’s resilience in the challenges we face in safeguarding the heritage of the lighthouse."

Hillsboro Beach Mayor Dan Dodge added, “Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca was instrumental in helping with the fundraising, and I would like to thank Carmen McGarry for her tireless efforts to replace the Barefoot Mailman statue.  Through their efforts this statue preserves October 11th in honor of James Edward Hamilton and all that served the mail route.”

Hib Casselberry, HLPS Historian, recalled the statue’s donation from the Town of Hillsboro Beach to HLPS, saying, “Carmen McGarry has been so involved in the Barefoot Mailman statue project for so many years.  She was HLPS President at the time of the statue’s donation to HLPS from Hillsboro Beach, was all-important in driving its restoration and personally paid for the marble pedestal on which it was originally installed.  As part of this effort, she “found” Frank Varga and negotiated to have this bronze statue created. HLPS cannot give her enough thanks.”

The replacement of the Barefoot Mailman statue marks one of several projects that the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society has been involved in on the site of the Hillsboro Lighthouse and inlet area, including the recently completed Centennial Brick Patio, and the opening of the Hillsboro Lighthouse Museum and Visitor’s Center located across the waterway from the lighthouse at the Hillsboro Inlet Park. ◊

 

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Facebook Recognition

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Newsletter Recognition

$25 USD
Get your name published in, and receive a free copy of our semi-annual HLPS newsletter.
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Bronze Plaque

$500 USD
A bronze plaque honoring the names of donors of $500 and more will be placed at the site. Your name will become part of history.
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