Q&A: Vandalism of Bass Reeves statue shocks Muskogee community

A statue honoring lawman Bass Reeves at the Three Rivers Museum in Muskogee has been vandalized, leaving the community heartbroken. The damage, which occurred less than a year after the statue was installed, has left museum staff searching for answers.

Q: Who was Bass Reeves, and why is he significant to Muskogee?

“Bass Reeves is one of our biggest exhibits. People come from all over to see him. He was one of the first U.S. Deputy Marshals this side of the Mississippi in Indian Territory, before we became a state...We have more draw towards Bass because he was known as a well-respected deputy marshal. He did retire to Muscogee after 32 years of being a deputy marshal,” Angie Rush, Three Rivers Museum Director, said.

Q: Why was a statue of Reeves placed at the museum?

“When he was on our police force, his beat actually started right out here at the east end of our building, on Second and Nelson. So that’s why we placed the statue of Bass right there,” Rush said.

Q: When was the damage discovered?

Angie Rush says the statue was still intact on July 11. But by August 16, they noticed the baton had been broken off. The museum is currently reviewing surveillance footage to find out what happened in that time frame.

Q: What was the community's reaction to the vandalism?

“It hurts us that somebody would do that...it's a disrespect to our history, to the museum, to our city, and we agree with that. You know, this whole community is surrounded by great history, and for somebody to come along and cut his baton off, I mean, that just defaces everything. And so as a community, we've got to come together to try to find out who did this,” Rush said.

Q: Will the statue be repaired?

“Yes, thankfully, we don’t need to replace the entire statue. We’re waiting on a price for a new baton from the sculptor, and once we have that, we’ll take care of it. That’s our job, to preserve the history, and this statue is part of that,” Rush said.

Q: What would you say to someone who might know something?

“On the camera footage, there is a lot of traffic through here at all hours of the day and night. So, if anybody saw anything, all you got to do is pick a phone call the museum. I don't want your name. I don't want your address, I just want you to tell me what you saw, when you saw it, what time you saw it, and we'll go from there,” Rush said.