Only Sherlock Holmes Statue in the USA

Chester, Illinois

A granite statue depicts the famous detective in his cape and deerstalker hat -- but he has the face of Elzie Segar, the creator of Popeye! The bizarre mashup was created because Segar grew up in Chester and was a big Sherlock Holmes fan; he even promoted "Sherlockian" subculture and imagery in his comic strip, "Thimble Theatre," where he later introduced Popeye in 1929.

The statue, titled, "Sherlock and Segar," stands in the center of a concrete magnifying glass lens, and was dedicated on Elzie Segar's 125th birthday, December 8, 2019. Scratchings on the wall behind the statue appear to be cryptic clues to unraveling some mystery. A time capsule was buried next to the statue, with instructions to dig it up on Segar's 200th birthday. Perhaps its contents will help explain to future tourists why a Sherlock Holmes statue is in the same town as ones of Olive Oyl, Wimpy, and Bluto.