- May 19, 2024
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A group of Ormond Beach residents are hoping to save Chief Tomokie.
The Chief Tomokie Preservation Group is aiming to have the statue placed on the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation's "11 to Save" program for 2024 — and the group is soliciting letters of support from the community. Every year, the organization picks 11 threatened historic places in the state and highlights them with the mission to inspire communities to preserve them. While no funding accompanies the designation, being on the list helps with applying for grants that could fund preservation efforts.
Last year, Ormond Yacht Club was added to the Florida Trust's 2023 "11 to save list." The deadline to submit an application to the Florida Trust is May 15.
The Chief Tomokie statute, located in Tomoka State Park, was created in 1955 by American sculptor Frederick Dana Marsh and stands on the site of a Timicuan village, known as Nocoroco. According to information provided to the Observer by Bill Partington II, who is part of the Chief Tomokie Preservation Group, the 45-foot tall sculpture was composed of lightweight materials such as bamboo armature, cement plaster and brick dust. A reflecting pool was added to the sculpture in 1956, but the water was shut off in 1974 and a museum that stood on the site displaying Marsh's work was closed in 1996.
While the sculpture was restored to a degree in 1998, no further funding was available to repair the sculpture, which has also been vandalized over the years and has figures and limbs missing.
"This towering example of modernist outdoor art, which had been both a tourist attraction and a local icon, is in danger of becoming nothing but rubble," a letter of support by Ormond Beach resident and former Ormond MainStreet executive director Julia Truilo reads. "By seeking recognition for the Chief Tomokie statue supporters hope to show the importance of this work both to local history and to the art world. Being listed as one of the "11 to Save" projects will help raise the profile of the sculpture as the Chief Tomokie Preservation Group seeks to raise money and support to preserve and restore the statue."
The statue depicts the "Legend of Tomokie," based of a fictional account of a mythical tribe. The legend says Tomokie's tribe turned on him for the sacrilege of drinking the Water of Life from the Sacred Cup.
At the May 7 City Commission meeting, Commissioner Harold Briley asked the commission to submit a letter of support to the Florida Trust.
"It's been in disrepair for so long, for so many years, and we've lost so much of it, but it would be great if we could get some sort of grant to save or maybe restore that statue to what it used to be — to it's former glory," Briley said.
The commission agreed. City Commissioner Lori Tolland also asked the city to investigate if Tomoka State Park had any current plans in the work regarding the statue.
Mayor Bill Partington, son of Partington II, said he's been advocating for the restoration of the statue for 17 years, but the state park system has not supported it.
"They don't seem to be interested in the fact that we ave a strong interest in that as locals," Partington said. "It's a huge part of our history and our culture."
Email letters of support to Partington II at [email protected] or mail them to 54 W Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach FL 32174.
