The late founder of Forest City is now immortalized as a sculpture made of Harley Davidson air cleaner covers, chunks of coal, railroad spikes, horseshoes and bike chains.
‘‘Coal Pickin’ Willie P.,” the artwork named after William Pentecost, founder of the borough, will be unveiled Saturday at the D&H Rail-Trail’s Erie Street Trailhead in Forest City.
Willie is meant to represent the history of Forest City. The sculpture will also honor the coal miners, immigrants and railroad workers who shaped the city.
In total, five sculptures will be created. The goal of the art is to creatively connect the city, to encourage people who are on the trail to go into town and to attract more businesses to the Forest City area, according to the Rail Trail Council of NEPA.
“They want to make it a place where people will come,” Conrad said, “a place where people want to go,” said Lynn Conrad, executive director of Rail-Trail Council of NEPA.
Forest City’s humble beginnings
Pentecost founded Forest City in 1864. He chose the land for its dense forests. He originally called it Forest Mills. Only a small portion of the original forest remains today, according to Forest City Area Historical Society.
Lumbermen and their families started to settle on the land. Lumber was the primary industry in the area, with the exception of the small mining operation run by Pentecost.
Mining continued in Forest City until the Great Depression hit the town. The worldwide economic downturn caused lumber and coal to take a hit.
Creating Willie and beyond
Willie is the second sculpture in a series of five planned to connect the D&H Rail-Trail to Forest City.
Scott Nichols is the artist behind the sculpture. He first created a sign for the trail’s free wi-fi, generating a positive reaction from the public.
“I was obviously beyond honored and floored by that, even the thought of it was so cool,” he said.
When creating the sculpture, Nichols searched through his shop and chose items to incorporate into the statue.
“I wanted to start making it sort of rugged and strong,” Nichols said, “like a coal miner.”
Nichols hesitated at first to create the life-sized sculpture, since he was used to creating small figures out of metal.
However, creating the sculpture came easily. He said the process for it was organic and came naturally.
“Everything I put into it was meant to be there, I guess,” he said.
If you go
The unveiling of Coal Pickin’ Willie P will take place on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Erie Street Trailhead in Forest City.
Those who were instrumental to the project will be recognized.