Antique metal buoys returned to Lawson Boating Heritage Center
A citizen tip has led to the recovery of antique metal mooring buoys stolen in 2016 from the outdoor display of the Lawson Boating Heritage Center in Bemus Point.
The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office said mooring buoys are floating devices anchored to the seabed, allowing boats to tie up and remain stationary without using an anchor. Historically they were large metal spheres with a metal loop end for tying to an anchor, but are now typically plastic or Styrofoam.
The Sheriff’s office said it was long believed the buoys had been cut up and sold for scrap metal, but they were found in good condition and being used as lawn ornaments. Lawson Center Past President David Wesp recently traveled with the Navigation Division of the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office to Erie County, New York to locate and recover the long missing buoys. Wesp said he was ecstatic about their return, stating “We (the Lawson Center) believe in the good moralities of people and always hoped someone would someday return them to us… they are an important part of the history of our lake.”
The buoys have been returned to their former display and will soon be refinished. No charges will be filed as the person in possession did not know they were stolen.
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