Louisiana is Home to the Largest Ronald Reagan Statue in the World

Covington, Louisiana (KPEL-FM) - Located along the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, Covington, Louisiana in St. Tammany Parish is home a pretty interesting roadside attraction.

Since 2008, Covington has held the dubious honor of being home to the largest statue of former President Ronald Reagan in the World.

Let's take a look and how and why this happened.

Largest Ronald Regan Statue In The World

Located at 419 North New Hampshire Street, Covington, Louisiana, is the World's largest statue of former United States President Ronald Reagan.

It's not because President Reagan really ever had anything to do with Covington, and there's no records that show he had ever even visited Covington, Louisiana.

The statue of Ronald Reagan is there because of a man named Patrick F. Taylor, a Louisiana oil tycoon and philanthropist.

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Taylor pledged to erect a memorial to Reagan after Reagan’s passing on June 5, 2004.

Unfortunately, Taylor also passed away a few months after commissioning the statue, so he was never able to see it finished.

The Ronald Reagan statue is bronze, and was sculpted by artist Patrick Miller, a sculptor from Ponchatoula, Louisiana.

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The 9 ft 8 in statue of President Ronald Reagan sits atop a 6-foot-tall pedestal, bringing the entire spectacle to 15-16 feet, and weighing at roughly 1,300 lbs.

Patrick F. Taylor was a big supporter of Ronald Reagan and after Reagan passed away, Taylor pledged he would commission the statue to honor him.

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Louisiana's Ronald Reagan statue was dedicated on June 27, 2008.

Covington, Louisiana was chosen partly due to a stretch of Highway 190 nearby had already being designated as “Ronald Reagan Highway.”

Read more at louisianalife.com.