For years, Sara Gutshall has been working to beautify the square in Maytown. She has overseen work to clean up landscaping, install new brick walkways and restore monuments in the square. And now her latest project is taking the square to new heights.
Working with several community members and businesses, Gutshall coordinated and supervised installation of four iron arches in the square.
"They were made by blacksmith Stan Newcomer," Gutshall said. Each features the words "Maytown Center Square" at the top, and they harken back to a time when arches were set up in the square seasonally, Gutshall said, adding, "When I was a little girl, I remember they used to put arches up at Christmastime." These arches will be in the square permanently and will help draw attention to the square as a place for people to gather for special events or to honor and recognize the veterans memorialized in the square. "I love that the arches will be a way for people coming from any direction in Maytown to see the square," she said. "The arches add beauty to our square."
She gave Newcomer a description of how she remembered the arches from her youth and noted that she's very pleased with the results. "He worked very hard to make them to my specifications," Gutshall stated. "They turned out beautifully."
She also credited Tom Jones of Tom Jones Landscape and Lawncare, and his father, Ed, for helping with plantings throughout the square as well as helping to install the arches.
Gutshall is also overseeing a campaign to purchase engraved bricks with the names of people connected to Maytown, and she hopes the square will continue to serve as not only the centerpiece of Maytown, but also a place to remember those who served. "Our veterans gave so much for our freedom," she remarked. "I want this square to be a place where people can come and sit and relax and think of their loved ones. People can't always get to a cemetery, so they can come here and remember the people who have gone before us."
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