AUBURN — A historic city popcorn icon will be staying put, for now.

Councilors on Monday said they had no interest in parting with Marshall’s Pop Corn stand, a modified 1930 Ford Model A Roadster that’s been off the road for years and gathering dust in city storage.

But councilors said they would like to see the old wagon, a city landmark until the 1990s, out in public once again.

“It has come a long way and it is still in very good shape,” Councilor Leroy Walker said. “I’d like to see us look at our options.”

Schott, a Central Maine developer and owner of the Auburn Mall, had offered the city $3,000 for the truck. He said he wanted to refurbish it and put it on display at a property he owns on Main Street in Lewiston. Schott said he would have made the truck available for parades and events.

“But this isn’t about the money,” Walker said. “It’s an important part of city history and we want to hold on to it.”

Once a regular sight in downtown Auburn, the modified 1930 Ford dispensed fresh, hot popcorn and nuts, until 1975.

The business was started as a hobby by Arthur F. Marshall, in 1906. Starting with push cart wagon, Marshall upgraded to a motorized truck, adding a handmade wooden stand in the back.

Marshall and his truck were fixtures downtown — first in front of Auburn Hall and later in front of the Androscoggin County Courthouse. Arthur continued selling popcorn from the truck until he died in 1971 and his nephew kept it up until 1975.

The cart was donated to the city in the early 1980s and Walker — then a recreation department employee — was among the group that fixed it up and got it back on the road. It became a part of area parades and was used as a fund raiser until the mid-1990s.

Ravi Sharma, the city’s Recreation Department director, said it’s no longer drivable. Walker said that’s fine. He’d rather the vehicle not get driven.

“I’d hate to see it get in an accident and all stove up,” he said. “It’s too valuable to let that happen.”

Walker said he’d be interested in working with area volunteers to make the truck more presentable and have it displayed around the city. Councilors agreed. Councilor Mary Lafontaine said the truck wasn’t doing the city any good being kept in storage.

“If we are going to keep it, we need to maintain it,” she said. “If we don’t want to make that investment, we should let someone else do so. I’m all in favor of keeping history here and maintaining it if we can, but it doesn’t do any good to sit in our storage space.”

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