Story and photos by Monty Siekerman
Amy Rose and Tim Laubis are into rescues...not the usual pet rescues but they have saved a caboose and a statue from the trash heap.
And, for their engagement, Tim gave Amy Rose a rock...literally, a 16-ton rock, but more about that later.
The caboose has been on their property since 2007; the statue of a Crusade knight on a horse has been there since 2009.
Both have had considerable notice by passersby the past few years since their property is located on busy State Route 81, just east of the school.
But, alas, the end of the interesting display is at hand. Both been sold and are headed out of town. The Laubis have their property for sale, so now the displays are headed to new homes.
The Laubis also display other smaller pieces of art in their yard.
The C&O railroad caboose was made in 1969 by International Car in Kenton. They found it beginning to deteriorate in a Rimer, Ohio, junk yard, but retrieved it with many of its original parts still in good shape such as the chairs and beds inside.
The 52,000 pound caboose was brought to Ada with the help of trucks and cranes.
The Laubis saved the 4,200 pound cast iron horse/rider statue from a wealthy man in New Jersey who had much artwork in his yard. The man from the East Coast was putting his property up for sale, so the Laubis had only 48 hours to move it.
Mrs. Laubis describes it as "museum quality with much detail." It, too, took special cranes and trucks to haul it to Ada from the East.
The huge "engagement rock" that Tim gave to Amy Rose sits in front of the house on SR 81. Why a literal stone? "It's what I wanted," Amy Rose simply explains.
The pieces are located on 1.3 acres. That includes a main house and a smaller house located next to a 1/3 acre pond with a dock for swimming and fishing. It also has a 6-car garage and a separate building to house a workshop with an attached smaller garage.
So, next time you head west out of town on 81, look to your right and see the art display; it won't be there much longer.
