Newsboy Statue

The newsboy statue and fountains were a gift to the town of Great Barrington by Col. William L. Brown, a former teacher, politician, summer resident, and past part-owner of the first New York Daily News. Dedicated on October 10, 1895, this statue was the first of its kind and has kept vigil for well over a century.

The base of the statue has four water fountains for cats, dogs, horses, and humans. Two of the bronze heads were stolen, one during the Great Depression, and another sometime in the 1950s. The fountains were fixed in the 1970s by a newspaper circulation director from Connecticut named Barrie Hughes. In the 1980s and 90s, the statue was repaired at no cost to local taxpayers through the efforts of a newspaper trade association and the Great Barrington Historical Society. The first restoration was complete in 1995, for the 100th anniversary of the state.

A complete restoration was accomplished several years ago thanks to a grant from the Community Preservation Committee, restoring water to the fountain in 2016. A bench honoring Hughes was added in 2019 for his drive to return the statue to its former glory.