Marblehead, Ohio - Handless Jacques

Jacques is a 30 foot high fiberglass "giant" that was transported to Marblehead in the early 1970s. Before that, Jacques was erected on Mt. Vernon Avenue in Marion Ohio for "Jacques Sandwich Shoppe," a fast food deli type restaurant that only was open about year or two before a fire damaged the place in 1969/70. Anyway, Jacques remained in the front yard of the closed restaurant, surrounded by weeds, etc. before he was loaded onto a flatbed truck and moved to Marblehead.

Two things about Jacques: First, the reason why he has no hands is because when he was built Jacques carried a tray in front of him with an enormous sandwich on it. When he was moved, the sandwich which was cast with his hands as one unit, was replaced by a "sign" that he "carried".

Secondly, the majority of people who remember Jacques are kids born in the 1950s and early 1960s -- he scared the living daylights out of us -- even more so when the place started to get run down. Kids remember things like that.

Wendy's International opened its first Marion hamburger restaurant on the site of the old Jacques Sandwhich Shoppe in Marion and continues to operate out of that heavily remodeled building. [Ed Beavers, 05/07/2007]

He is currently standing in a vacant lot adjacent to a gas station on the South side of SR 163 just East of East harbor State Park as of 3/17/07. [Bruce Morrison, 03/30/2007]

Jacques did indeed stand in front of a roast beef sandwich restaurant on Rt. 42 in Mansfield Ohio ("Jacques' roast beef sandwiches are delicious!") in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He held a tray containing several juicy sandwiches. I lived across the street from the restaurant. I believe he was removed not because he presented any danger, but because the restaurant went out of business, and was replaced by a franchise roast beef restaurant. [Gary L. Strawn, 07/09/2006]

Sometime within the past 12 months somebody put up a BP gas station next to him. I was shocked! At least they left him standing (he's a little taller than the bp sign they put up in front of him) but the new surroundings kind of detract from his, er, majesty..... [e. shoemaker, 08/03/2002]

Last week, after returning from a trip to Marblehead, Ohio, I noticed you didn't have a photo of Jacques, the handless goliath in the food-service cap. Just so happens I got a shot when we stopped for gas. Jacques now stands beside highway 163, between an RV sales business and a Shell station. He looks to be in pretty good shape -- except for the hands, which have been replaced by what looks like a framework for a small shield. [David Plambeck, 09/25/1999]