Herman A MacNeil was born in
College Pt, NY. In the late 1920's he was commissioned to design the
"The Pilgrim Fathers" group memorial, now standing in Chase Park, Waterbury,
CT. He began looking for a fitting model for the memorial's central
figure in College Pt. He believed that this figure should be a
"bearded, rugged, severe-looking Bible carrying patriarch", and he found his
model in Karl Butzbach. In addition to a man with a beard, MacNeil was
looking for a vigorous type of individual and, for this, Karl was a perfect
match.
The completed bronze cast of Karl Butzbach now stands at the
entrance of Chase Park in Waterbury. The plaster model had been
shipped to Italy to be cast in bronze and it was returned in 1930.
Karl assumed that the completed statue would be placed either was up north
of way down south but was relieved when he learned that it was being placed
so close to College Pt. Although he, himself, didn't see the completed
bronze statue, my Great-Great-Grandmother had the chance to see it a few
times before she passed away.
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