The Golden Lion 20230223 | Philander W Barclay

This photo from 1895 shows the Golden Lion and its mortar and pestle on their platform above Marion Street, outside Barclay’s Drug Store. According to The Oakparker (November 29, 1935), the people in the photo are: Philander Barclay (left) and Benjamin A. Kent (right), who later became a charter member of the Borrowed Time Club. On the ground, to the left of the post elevating the lion and the mortar and pestle, is a mounting block marked “Barclay.” The block acted like a step and assisted people entering and exiting carriages and buggies, and mounting and dismounting from horses. (Photo from The Oakparker, Jubilee Number, November 29, 1935, pg. 83.)

The Tale of a Lion

By Anna-Maria Manuel

Published February 23, 2023.

"Golden Lion Gone", a story from the Oak Leaves, from March 25, 1916, began with this lead: “Philander Barclay, the Oak Park village historian, is in mourning.” Why? Let’s find out . . .

Once upon a time, a “bachelor druggist” traveled to England. While there, he hatched an idea: he needed a large lion statue, like the ones he spied while in London, for the front of his store. [1]

Upon his return to the U.S., the druggist contracted with a firm in Philadelphia to make a golden lion — “regardless of the price.” [2]

Sticker shock set in when the druggist saw the bill for the completed lion. He “absolutely” refused to pay. $1000! [3] Gasp!

The large gleaming cat was put on the market. Unfortunately, there were no buyers. So, it slumbered, in storage. [4]

1. “Golden Lion Gone”; Oak Leaves; March 25, 1916; pg. 10.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

Barclay Brothers to the Rescue

Then, in 1872, two druggists from Cairo, Illinois — James S. Barclay and his brother P.W. Barclay — paid $500 for the gilded lion. [5] The “gentlemanly and handsome” [6] Barclay Brothers rescued the cat, placing it outside their store at 74 Ohio Levee, Cairo, for advertising purposes. [7 & 8] The phrase “At the Sign of the Golden Lion” was in many of their newspaper ads. [9]

Sadly, the brothers eventually dissolved their business. [10 & 11] Would the cat face extinction? No! James and his wife Mary; his three children: Luan, James, and Philander; and the lion all headed north.

5. “Golden Lion Gone”; Oak Leaves; March 25, 1916; pg. 10. Another report said that the lion cost $400 exclusive of regilding and repairs. American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record; January 10, 1900; pg. 26.

6. The Cairo Bulletin; July 3, 1872; pg. 4.

7. “Golden Lion Gone”; Oak Leaves; March 25, 1916; pg. 10.

8. Barclay Brothers ad; The Cairo Bulletin; August 10, 1876.

9. For an example ad: Ibid.

10. James S. Barclay obituary; “Chicago” (section); The Western Druggist; February 1902; pg. 104.

11. James S. Barclay obituary; The Oak Park Argus; January 24, 1902, pg. 1.

A Barclay Brothers ad from The Cairo Bulletin, August 10, 1876, which mentions “At the Sign of the Golden Lion” in two places.

Golden Lion in Oak Park

In 1891, James opened his new drugstore in Oak Park. [12] The store’s interior was “calcimined [13] and . . . illuminated with electric lights.” [14] A “fresh stock of drugs, medicines, toilet articles, cigars, and all goods usually carried in drug stores” awaited customers. [15] Outside, the lion in its golden glory, stood on an eight-foot post, [16] once again beckoning to all who spotted it, advertising Barclay's Drug Store.

Besides advertising, the Golden Lion acted as a landmark that helped people find the store and/or the Barclays. One such story concerned Ed Taylor (also known as "Uncle Ned" [17]), a former porter at the Barclay Brothers drug store at Washington and 8th Street in Cairo. [18] According to an Oak Leaves article, Taylor had heard that his son had been in a storage fire in Chicago and traveled to the city to look for him. It turned out that his son was safe and working at a restaurant. [19]

While in the area, Taylor thought of his former employer, and “after some considerable difficulty,” made his way to Oak Park. [20]

So great was his surprise and joy when he saw his old friend the lion that he let up a shout . . . . Uncle Ned was heartily entertained by the Barclays and remained in Oak Park for nearly a week. [21]

The Barclays, the lion’s masters, gave it the best of care, having it regilded in 1897.

Most everybody is talking of the fine artistic work which has been done on Barclay's tame lion in front of his drug store at No. 103 Marion street. It is a thing of beauty indeed. The regilding has brought out into bold relief the symmetrical proportions of the king of beasts. [22]

It seemed like nothing could bring down the lion, including a Halloween prank involving red paint that left the beast looking as if it had been stabbed in the posterior. [23]

However, in 1899, the Cicero Town Board [24] and its ordinance requiring the removal of sidewalk signs, brought down the lion. [25] According to the Cicero Town Board meeting minutes from January 13, 1900, H.W. Austin [26] and others petitioned the Board to grant James S. Barclay permission to keep the lion in front of his drug store. After all, the lion had been Barclay’s advertising sign for many years, dating back to his drug store in Cairo, Illinois. Barclay felt that the lion’s removal would “seriously injure his business interests.” The case was “Referred to the attorney to prepare an amendatory ordinance concerning signs on sidewalks.” [27]

The amendatory ordinance was slow in coming. In the Cicero Town Board’s meeting minutes from September 26, 1901, Barclay was still asking for permission to return the lion to the front of his store. [28]

Barclay died January 23, 1902. [29] One wonders whether he ever saw the Golden Lion returned to its rightful place, in front of his drug store.

12. “The Golden Lion”; Oak Park Reporter; June 19, 1891; pg. 4.

13. Calcimine: “A white or tinted wash of glue, whiting or zinc white, and water that is used especially on plastered surfaces.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calcimine. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.

14. “The Golden Lion”; Oak Park Reporter; June 19, 1891; pg. 4.

15. Ibid.

16. American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record; January 10, 1900; pg. 26.

17. “Golden Lion Gone”; Oak Leaves; March 25, 1916; pg. 10. In this article, there may have been a typo or a little exaggeration about Uncle Ned's age. The story said that Uncle Ned was 90 years old when he traveled to Chicago "in the world's fair year," 1893. In a picture taken 17 years later, in 1910, by Philander Barclay, Taylor appears much younger than 107 years old! This picture is located in the Philander Barclay Collection, The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.

18. Information from the back of a photo taken of Ed Taylor in 1910, in Cairo, IL by Philander Barclay. Gray file box; Philander Barclay Collection; The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.

19. “Golden Lion Gone”; Oak Leaves; March 25, 1916; pg. 10.

20. Ibid.

21. Ibid.

22. Oak Park Vindicator; July 23, 1897; pg. 5.

23. Warren Stevens; “Painted Cow, ‘Stabbed’ Lion, Faked Suicide, Stopped Trolleys Among Hallowe’en Pranks ‘Way Back When”; The Oakparker; October 25, 1935; pgs. 41 & 48.

24. Oak Park was once part of Cicero.

25. Oak Park Times; “Neighborhood Notes” section; December 28, 1899; pg. 4.

26. Henry W. Austin, Jr.; January 22, 1864 – June 25, 1947. Founder of the Oak Park Trust and Savings Bank, among other accomplishments. “Death Comes to H.W. Austin in 83rd Year”; Oak Leaves; June 26, 1947; pgs. 5, 11, and 70.

27. “Cicero Town Board, Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Cicero, Held Jan. 13, 1900”; Oak Park Vindicator; January 19, 1900, pg. 4.

28. “The Town Board”; The Oak Park Argus; October 4, 1901; pg. 1.

29. James S. Barclay obituary; The Oak Park Argus; January 24, 1902; pg.1.

An ad for Barclay’s Drug Store. From the Oak Park Vindicator; January 12, 1894, pg. 4.

The Lion’s New Master: Charles McCauley

May 1902 brought a new owner to Barclay’s Drug Store. Charles E. McCauley from Grand Rapids, Michigan, purchased the drug store. He had been an employee at the store about eight years before. [30]

There did not seem to be newspaper reports about the lion’s return. However, newspaper advertising for the McCauley’s Drug Store mentioned the Golden Lion. [31] It is possible that the Golden Lion was quietly returned to the front of the store when McCauley took over.

The Golden Lion reference in McCauley’s newspaper ads disappeared in the spring of 1907. [32] From examining newspapers from that time, there didn’t seem to be an explanation for why the Golden Lion was dropped from McCauley’s advertising. Perhaps, it was in preparation for the store’s move to a new space.

The news hit the following year: “McCauley Secures New Location.” [33] McCauley’s store was in the building that also housed the Oak Park Trust and Savings Bank. The “expected expansion” of the bank caused McCauley’s move. The location he secured for his shop was the new Barr Building across the street, opposite the Northwestern station. [34] By April 1908, McCauley was in his new store. [35]

30. Oak Park Argus; May 30, 1902; pg. 1.

31. For instance, see McCauley’s ad in Oak Leaves; August 29, 1902; pg. 6.

32. It seems that the last reference to the Golden Lion in advertising appeared in the McCauley ad from Oak Leaves; April 20, 1907; pg. 12.

33. “McCauley Secures New Location”; Oak Leaves; March 7, 1908; pg. 25.

34. Ibid.

35. “McCauley in New Location”; Oak Leaves; April 18, 1908; pg. 2.

Perhaps the last ad to reference the Golden Lion. From the Oak Leaves; April 20, 1907; pg. 12.

A Lion Hunted for Its Zinc

Exactly when the lion was put into storage — for the last time — could not be determined from newspapers. However, by 1916, as World War I raged in Europe, the hibernating lion faced extinction.

According to the Oak Leaves, zinc was scarce at that time. The lion was gilded, but zinc was at its core. [36] A “lynx-eyed” junkman in McCauley’s basement spotted the slumbering lion. He bought it and the old soda fountain from Barclay’s Drug Store for the value of their zinc — “a few dollars.” A wrecking crew’s sledgehammers demolished both “relics of bygone days,” in under an hour. [37]

The Golden Lion, which watched over two drug stores owned by Philander Barclay’s father, was suddenly reduced to pieces. The quiet lion that the Village Historian had known all his life was gone. Part of Oak Park's — and Philander's — history had quickly vanished.

Is it any wonder why “Philander Barclay, the Oak Park village historian, [was] in mourning”? [38]

36. “Golden Lion Gone”; Oak Leaves; March 25, 1916; pg. 10.

37. Ibid.

38. Ibid.