Did you know three of the most unique Presidential statues are right here in West Michigan? From what may be the smallest statue of a President to the oldest and most unflattering portrayal of a President, we got it all within an hour's drive!

Let's start on the Lakeshore in Muskegon where lumber baron Charles Hackley bought a sculpture off of artist Charles Niehaus and placed in front of what is now the Board of Education building.

Niehaus had been working on the statue when McKinley was assassinated and Hackley wanted to be the first to honor the deceased President. It is without a doubt the oldest sculpture erected of McKinley, and it has also been described as the least flattering sculpture of McKinley, as he is depicted with a bit more ample belly than he may have had in real life, and a double chin, leading many to believe Niehaus was not a fan of McKinley and just wanted to make a quick buck.

Moving eastward on I-96 to the grounds of the Gerald Ford Museum is the only sculpture of a President constructed of junk. The abstract statue depicts Gerald Ford in his football playing days at the University of Michigan. It more closely resembles one of the football playing robots on The Jetsons than it does our beloved 38th President. The sculpture is next to the parking lot at the entrance to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.

We now travel to East Grand Rapids where in front of the East Grand Rapids Community Center may be the smallest statue of a President on display. A scaled version of the large statue of Gerald Ford that sits in front of the Museum, this smaller version done by the same sculptor, Brett Grill, sits only 18 inches high on a pedastel, guarding the entrance to the Center at 746 Lakeside Drive SE. If there's a smaller statue of a President in the United States, I haven't been able to find it.

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