RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) – A new statue unveiled in Rutland on Wednesday pays homage to Vermont’s first Black restaurant owner.
Ernie Royal and his wife, Willa, moved to Rutland and opened Royal’s Hearthside in 1963. They spent 30 years building up their business, which they operated until Ernie’s death in 1994.
The monument is the 12th piece on the Rutland Sculpture Trail. It was made by the Carving Studio & Sculpture Center in West Rutland.
At the ceremony, those who knew Ernie Royal shared what his legacy meant to Rutland.
“It means an awful lot, the sculpture trail is coming along and there’s several folks of color that are represented there. This is certainly a welcome addition, it cements Ernie’s history in Rutland and quite frankly to have a Black person out front the way he was and now will be, that I think is encouraging from a whole lot of perspectives,” said Al Wakefield, the former owner of Royal’s Hearthside.
You can see the new monument at its permanent home on Merchants Row, within walking distance of many of the other 11 sculptures in the city’s downtown.