The longtime residents of Madill should no doubt know of Mr. and Mrs. Eppler. If not, they at least know of their eight-foot-tall Statue of Liberty replic in the front yard of their house, complete with The American Flag flying in the background. Some residents may or may not know the history of this tribute to patriotism.
Eppler, known to his friends as Sambo, is a lifetime resident of Marshall County.Hegrewupinnearby Lebanon.
He and his wife Barbara have been married for 69 years. The home that they live in was built by the couple when they moved to Madill in 1994. Eppler is a retired VeteranoftheArmyReserves who also operated and owned a local construction company.
Eppler said he first saw the Statue of Liberty years ago on a trip o Mexico. Later, when he stopped off in El Paso, Texas, he was speaking with a shopkeeper who offered to buy the statue and bring it over the border for him.
He said it cost him about $500 at the time and is aluminum. He jokingly said it is “probably made of beer cans.” That was in 1996, and the statue has remained ever since.
There have been repairs over the years and additions, including a pedestal that brings this impressive attraction to about 15 feet total. The torch used to have a regular light fixture globe cover for about 20 years then, his grandson replaced it with a new one that looks like a flame. He said that even though it doesn’t emit much light, it is still worth it.
”It doesn't make a lot of light but it sure is pretty,” he said.
He also stated that it was rare, and he does see people on occasion stop to take pictures.
Eppler is a jovial gentleman that loved talking about the statue, his family and the community of Madill. There is definitely a gleam in his eye when he talks about the statue and the joy it brings to others when they see it.
Crystal