patching...
Update: Get Patch in your inbox every morning. Sign up for our free daily newsletter! »
Welcome back, Patch Blogger!

LADY LOST: The Search for Diana Continues

Theft, intrigue and a 25-year mystery.

 

Twenty-five years ago, a woman went missing from Rolling Ridge Retreat Center. She was around five feet tall, and she was made of lead.

The 18th century statue,  "Diana of Versailles" -- modeled after the mythological goddess of the hunt -- had been brought to the United states from Europe a century ago by landscape architect Fletcher Steele. The journey wasn't easy.

"She was brought over on a ship, and evidentally the ship was sunk and they had to dredge Diana up," Rolling Ridge Director Larry Peacock said.

The statue was placed on the grounds of the serene 38-acre Rolling Ridge estate, and Diana stood facing the bowling green on a rectangular pedestal for decades, her stern exterior wrapped in the scenic foliage of the estate.

"Here Diana was all alone, silhouetted by foliage, serving the purpose of enticing the visitor toward the bowling green," Rolling Ridge Office Manager Danny Smith said.

But in 1987, Diana vanished without a trace. She was stolen from her pedestal from the placid grounds of Rolling Ridge. And the people at Rolling Ridge are asking for your help to bring Diana home after 25 years.

"It is reported she may still be in the greater Lawrence vicinity," Smith added.

In this age of new media connecting communities in ways previously unimaginable, the people at Rolling Ridge are hoping for a resurgence of the search and perhaps a greater chance of bringing Diana home.

And that's where you can help out.

If you know where the statue may be or have any information regarding its disappearance, contact the Rolling Ridge Diana Recovery team at 978-682-8815 or email thestaff@rollingridge.org.

Rolling Ridge is offering a reward for any information leading to the recovery of Diana.

Related Topics: dispatches

Leave a comment