The Chronicles Of Grant County

One of the grotesques that previously hung out in Silver City. (The photograph was provided courtesy of Steve Douglas, December 2, 2012.)

In an earlier edition of The Chronicles Of Grant County, one of the more unusual sights in Silver City was highlighted – the grotesques (called by many "gargoyles") that had guarded the entrance to the building that previously housed the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge 413. While the grotesques are no longer present, the building itself is still located at the intersection of Market and Texas Streets in Downtown Silver City.

That edition, though, only included photos of one of the three grotesques.

This edition includes photos of the two other grotesques that provided "protection" for this building in Downtown Silver City.

Please note that while many local folks – if not likely all – called them "gargoyles," none of the building adornments were actually gargoyles. Instead, the three were actually grotesques.

According to a statement from the Washington National Cathedral, "gargoyles are part of the gutter system… Grotesques include all decorative architectural creatures, whether or not they have functioning drainage capabilities. Gargoyles, however, always have drainage conduits. Thus, not all grotesques are gargoyles, but all gargoyles are grotesques."

The Washington National Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, has "…about 120 gargoyles on the building (and all of them work), and more than 1,000 grotesques," said Kevin Eckstrom, Chief Communications Officer of the Washington National Cathedral.

The gargoyles at the Cathedral not only "…protect the Cathedral from dark forces (at least according to tradition), they also protect the Cathedral from its arch nemesis – water damage," the statement from the Cathedral continued. "A gargoyle is essentially an elaborate waterspout that diverts rain away from the Cathedral walls."

"Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Etruscans and Romans all employed animal-shaped waterspouts, but the ancestors of the American gargoyles are thought to date back to the 12th century," according to the statement from the Cathedral. "St. Bernard once disapprovingly wrote, 'What is the meaning of these unclean monkeys, these savage lions, and monstrous creatures?' Gargoyles caught on anyway."

While these two architectural ornamental creatures in Silver City were not actually gargoyles, they did serve as "protectors" for this Downtown building for generations.

These two grotesques – as well as the third grotesque highlighted in the previous edition of The Chronicles Of Grant County – no longer are at this location.

Two grotesques previously seen in Silver City. (The photograph was provided courtesy of Steve Douglas, December 2, 2012.)

A close-up of one of the two grotesques from the above photo. (The photograph was provided courtesy of Steve Douglas, December 2, 2012.)

Do you have questions about communities in Grant County?

A street name? A building?

Your questions may be used in a future news column.

Contact Richard McDonough at chroniclesofgrantcounty@mail.com.

If your email does not go through, please contact editor@grantcountybeat.com.

© 2022 Richard McDonough