Soldiers & Sailors statue vandalized

Like something out of The Hardy Boys novels, it’s the case of the disappearing… Like something out of The Hardy Boys novels, it’s the case of the disappearing bayonet.

The curator of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ museum, Michael Kraus, noticed on June 8 that the bayonet on the Soldier at Rest statue in front of the Hall had gone missing.

The soldier statue’s bayonet — alledgedly stolen — has been missing since before April 26. Analysis of photographs by Soldiers and Sailors staff show that the bayonet went missing between March 12 and April 26.

A press release from Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall said that their staff is working with Pittsburgh police to discover what happened to the missing piece of the statue.

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum offered a $2,000 reward for information that will lead to a conviction for the stolen bayonet, said Chief of Staff Casey Patterson. However, if someone returns the bayonet they won’t ask any questions, she said.

Without the bayonet, Patterson said that it may take as much as $10,000 to repair the statue. The bayonet will have to be reconstructed, then attached to the statue.

If the bayonet is returned, Patterson said the cost for repairs will be much lower.

Since announcing the missing bayonet this morning, Patterson said that they have not heard any community response. She’s hoping media attention might bring some response in the next few days.

The statue, which has stood in front of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall since 1922, has not been vandalized before, Patterson said.

The only other major vandalism that has happened at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall was when several of the cannonballs were stolen from the front of the building, according to Patterson. The cannonballs have since been welded together.