(WJET/WFXP)– Nine years ago, several antique metal mooring buoys were stolen from outside the Lawson Center Boat Museum in Chautauqua County, and this week, those pieces of Chautauqua Lake history were recovered.
Long thought to have been sold off for scrap metal, the buoys were found at an Erie County, New York, home being used as lawn decorations, unbeknownst to the person displaying them, and described by police as still in good condition.
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The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office said it first heard about the long-missing buoys thanks to a tip made to them.
Deputies got a hold of the former President of the Lawson Center Boat Museum in Bemus Point, Davis Wesp, who confirmed the buoys were the real deal.
In the past, these metal spheres were anchored to the bottom of Chautauqua Lake so boaters could tie off without having to cast their anchor, but have since been replaced by ones made of plastic or styrofoam.
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Now back where they belong, the buoys are back on display at the Lawson Center, around other interesting exhibits displaying Chautauqua Lake’s history and are set to get a refinishing…