Town will likely conduct fundraising campaign for repairs
Morris the horse, Tryon’s iconic statue, is in need of rebuilding and the town is asking for donations.

Tryon Town Manager Justin Hembree told Tryon Town Council Tuesday, Aug. 16 that estimates of costs to rebuild the wood and fiberglass on Morris are between $5,000 and $8,000. The town currently has approximately $1,600 in donations to fix Morris.
Hembree said the town has a line item set aside to repair Morris and has had a couple of contractors look at the statue to give estimates on repairs.
According to Hembree, the most appropriate course of action would be to replace the wood and fiberglass that has a lot of mildew and is rotting. Hembree said essentially, the statue needs to be rebuilt with fiberglass and then repainted.
The town will likely conduct a special fundraising campaign, which has been referred to as a “Save Morris” campaign.
The town accepted Morris as a donation from the Tryon Riding and Hunt Club (TR&HC) earlier this year.
TR&HC agreed to donate Morris to the town after having owned the statue since 1928.
The original Morris was designed by Eleanor Vance as a giant version of one of the most popular toys made by the Tryon Toy-Makers and Wood-Carvers, which was owned by Vance and Charlotte Yale.
The original Morris was destroyed in a fire and four other statues based on Morris’ original design have been built since. Tryon residents named the statue “Morris.”
Morris’ body is fiberglass, but the head and tail are made of wood. Repairs are needed to both the statue and the base and wheels.