Choo Choo statue goes back to Indiana

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — A statue at the Choo Choo made its way back to where it belongs.

On Wednesday morning, crews lifted this statue of businessman Charles Willard and loaded it onto a flatbed trailer.

It had been missing from Muncie, Indiana for decades. Recently, members of the Delaware County Historical Society discovered it was in Chattanooga.

People with the historical society, the Choo Choo and Tucker Build all worked together to make the move possible.

“It is kind of one of those things, people in Muncie, in Delaware County, have been searching for Charles Willard for 55 years or more. And when we discovered him, it was kind of exciting. The fact that he is coming back now is going to be really a hit,” said Jim Waechter, executive director of the Delaware County Historical Society.

After it was loaded, the statue started its more than seven hour journey back to Indiana.

It will be kept at the historical society in Muncie.