Boy and the Boot

Orkney Springs, Virginia

The former Orkney Springs Hotel, now named the Virginia House, has been standing since 1873. Old post cards show that it has had a Boy with a Boot statue as its second floor dining hall centerpiece since at least the 1950s. The statue was probably outside before that, then moved indoors to minimize its upkeep -- a familiar pattern with Boy and the Boot statues, whose popularity has been far more durable than their flimsy "pot metal" bodies.

In 1987 the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia bought the old hotel and renovated it into a conference center, changing its name but wisely keeping its Boy and the Boot.