Eagle-eyed visitors to Tennessee Tech’s campus this fall may have noticed that Derryberry Hall’s eagle has vanished. Since three students stole it from the ruins of a burned hotel in 1952, Monteagle’s citizens have wanted it back. Could it be retaliation?
No, but they’re getting it back anyway. Or a version of it.
A plaster cast of the eagle was delivered to the Monteagle city hall in October. The town organized an unveiling that included a retelling of the 1952 tale by Tech history professor Michael Birdwell.
“Our history, our heritage is only one generation deep,” said state Sen. Janice Bowling at the unveiling. “It’s great to see so many people here today to listen to the story of this eagle. They can tell the tale to others and keep this history alive.”
A full-sized, original-color metal replica will be delivered in March. While Monteagle residents will be able to get to know their eagle again, those in Cookeville will also be able to get up close and personal to the original eagle as a result of the efforts of two women from Monteagle.
The women, Iva Michelle Russell and Kay Ramsey, came to reclaim the eagle more than a year ago. Instead of stealing it back, they offered to buy it from President Phil Oldham.
“The eagle comes up whenever we talk about our past, so we did a little research on where it went and how it got there,” said Russell. “We thought hard about how to get it back. We considered
camouflage, ropes and power tools, but we decided to have a sit-down with Tech’s president first.”
Oldham talked to Jeffrey Adams, director of the Appalachian Center for Craft, about using the center’s skills to help Monteagle. Adams examined the eagle when Tech facilities staff took it down for cleaning this summer.
“We came to the conclusion that it would be best for the original eagle to be moved indoors,” said Adams. “It’s in good condition, but any more time outside and the statue would be at risk.”
The Derryberry eagle is made of pot metal — a cheap mixture used to make quick castings. From years of exposure, the metal has weakened. Artists at the Center for Craft worked to repair and stabilize it. So it can remain a symbol of Tennessee Tech
for decades to come, at press time, the plan was to move it to the first-floor lobby of the Roaden University Center.
Because Derryberry tower would not be the same without its eagle, university administrators decided to put a full-scale replica there. This time, the statue will be cast in aluminum and given a gold finish.
In December, engineers from Tech’s Hybrid Immersive Visualization Environment Lab captured the eagle with a 3-D scanner. With the scan, lab workers will create a limited number of miniatures from a 3-D printer so even more people can share a piece of Tech history.