World's Oldest JFK Statue

McKeesport, Pennsylvania

A nine-foot-tall bronze statue by sculptor Bryant Baker, claimed to be the world's first full-body JFK, was unveiled on February 9, 1965, the same day the Kennedy half-dollar was released into circulation. It stands in a small park where Kennedy gave a speech in mid-October 1962. At the time, the local papers reported that the crowd was so eager to shake JFK's hand that the wooden rail around his speaker's platform collapsed.

JFK stands atop a tall pedestal, far out of reach of anyone who might try to rub him for luck. At some point between 1965 and now, the statue, blackened with age, was given a partial makeover: a bronze wash was added to JFK's face and hands. This gives the assassinated President the odd appearance of having skin made of gold -- although even this touch-up is wearing away with time.