Missing lion statue returned in Galveston after 2 years Missing statue at Bishop's Palace in Galveston returned

Officials at the Galveston Historical Foundation are elated after a cast-zinc statue of a winged lion taken two years ago from Bishop's Palace was found.

An anonymous person called the foundation last month and led officials to the 3-foot-tall, 80-pound statue, one of a pair that has guarded the steps of Bishop's Palace at 1402 Broadway since it was built in 1892.

Dwayne Jones, GHF executive director, said the statue was purchased in Galveston by an Austin man who notified GHF staff of the statue's whereabouts about two months ago.

Jones declined to reveal the name of the donor, who did not know the statue was stolen when he bought it.

The statue was taken in May 2008, four months before Hurricane Ike hit the Island.

"We had no leads whatsoever," Jones said of the missing statue, which he said would have been too costly to replace.

"We're really glad to have it back because it was really a guardian angel of Bishop's Palace," Jones said.

"It could have gone to scrap metal or other things could have been done with it."

Many people have inquired about the statue over the past 2-½ years, Jones said.

Before it is returned to its home at Bishop's Palace, it will undergo repair work to the base where it was pried from its concrete stand.

The winged lion will be "more safely fastened this time," he said. "We don't want to lose it again."

For more information about the Bishop's Palace, visit www.galveston.com/bishopspalace.

robert.stanton@chron.com