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Commissioners approve temporary placement of Marcus Whitman statue at fairgrounds rotunda, with caveats
Summary
The board voted 3–0 to accept the Marcus Whitman statue transferred from the U.S. Statuary Hall and place it in the fairgrounds pavilion rotunda on an interim basis; commissioners and fairgrounds stakeholders asked to site it in a corner, evaluate structural support and consider security and long‑term relocation costs.
Walla Walla County commissioners on Oct. 13 voted unanimously to accept the Marcus Whitman statue transferred under state legislation and place it temporarily in the pavilion rotunda at the county fairgrounds.
Commissioner Kimball, who led the proposal, said the state authorized transfer of the statue back to county ownership and recommended the rotunda's central rotunda area as an interim display space until the county's planned Wagon Museum can house it permanently. The board discussed weight (Kimball said the statue and pedestal total about 14,000 pounds), staging logistics and long‑term relocation costs.
Concerns and adjustments
Fairgrounds stakeholders and staff raised multiple concerns: potential disruption to long‑standing fair exhibits and food‑service layouts in the rotunda; visibility only when the rotunda is open; security for an unsupervised outdoor placement; and whether the fair board should be more formally consulted. Commissioner Kimball and others said those concerns could be addressed by placing the statue off to a corner of the rotunda rather than in the center, or by sheltering it outdoors after applying a protective patina and installing a cover.
The motion
Commissioner Clayton moved and another commissioner seconded a motion to approve proposal 2025‑10‑13 to receive the Marcus Whitman statue from Statuary Hall and place it in the fairgrounds pavilion rotunda; the motion carried 3–0.
Next steps
County staff will attempt corner placement inside the rotunda to preserve existing event space and will explore whether protective enclosures, structural testing of the rotunda floor and security measures are needed before the statue arrives. The board reiterated its intent to move the statue into the Wagon Museum when the museum is built.
