Theft and damage at the South Solon Meeting House

The South Solon Meeting House, well-known for the fresco’s painted inside. It is a beloved destination for locals as well as artists and historians across the nation.

It was recently brought to my attention that over the summer months, someone has been stealing stones from every section of the stone wall that surrounds the building. The first incident a few months ago left a space over 1’ x 3’ at the left-hand corner of the wall missing many stones. That corner has had stones replaced as the caretaker thought it to be an isolated incident. But as recently as this past Saturday, August 12, 2023, stones have been removed from 8-10 additional areas.

I have attached photos of the damage HERE. The photo with the building is what it should look like. The photos with the red marks show some of the locations where multiple small and large flat stones have been removed.

The building is maintained by a volunteer Board of Trustees. The value of the stones has as much to do with history as it does money. Like most local small not-for-profit organizations, funding is hard to come by for such a project to repair and rebuild the stone wall.

Anyone with information regarding this or future incidents, may contact any of the following:

• Somerset County Dispatch, (207) 474-6465
• Andy Davis, (207) 431-0528, Board of Trustees
• Leslie Giroux, (207) 643-2842, Town of Solon