DIXFIELD —  The beloved official town mascot, Bullrock the Moose, became a casualty of Wednesday evening’s ferocious thunderstorm.

Strong winds knocked down the full-scale wooden sculpture, which had been standing in the Village Green since 2000. 

“I heard the sad news of Bullrock’s destruction shortly after we opened (Thursday morning),”  Charlotte Collins of the Dixfield Town Office said.

Wind was not the only factor contributing to the moose’s demise. Bullrock had developed a bad case of dry rot in his chest as well as his front right leg, making for an already unstable foundation.

Bullrock is named after a local legend, according to town records. The story goes that a wandering moose journeyed from the back side of Dixfield’s Sugarloaf Mountain, approached a formation known as Bull Rock on Sugarloaf and became so entranced with the beauty of the valley below that he lost his footing and plunged over the side to his death.

“Today, Bullrock’s spirit can be seen in the majesty of our forests and the steadfastness of our people,” according to town reports. “He not only symbolizes Dixfield’s colorful past, but represents a strong and steady future for all of us.”

Bullrock the statue began April 18, 2000, when Ted Walker of Peru began carving him. Money was provided by the Economic Development Council.

Walker took two weeks to complete Bullrock using 150-year-old white pine for his body and Norway pine and spruce for his legs and antlers. Falls Taxidermy supplied his big brown eyes and Dan Anctil supplied the log at Bullrock’s feet.

Bullrock was hoisted onto a concrete foundation by Anctil’s log loader and bolted tightly to the concrete slab.

As of early Wednesday afternoon, Bullrock remained in pieces on the ground on the Village Green.

“I have a feeling that Bullrock may rise again,” Collins said.

                       [email protected]