Beneath the I-24 exit sign for Metropolis, Illinois, a second sign read “giant Superman statue.” I’d been driving for five hours by this time and was hoping to make it to Atlanta before dark, but my curiosity got the better of me. I just had to find out more about that statue. Whipping the car off the highway, I followed a series of signs emblazoned with the familiar “S” logo to a bronze statue of America’s Super Hero standing in Superman Square, located at the junction of Market and 5th Streets.

Giant Superman statue stands at the corner of 5th and Market Streets, in Superman Square. The raised platform upon which he stands is lined with paver bricks that are engraved with the name of donors who contributed toward the cost of the new statue.

The tiny burg of Metropolis has built an entire culture around the legend of Superman. In addition to the statue, a Kryptonite meteorite is located on the southwest corner of Third and Ferry Streets and giant cut-outs of Superman and Lois Lane can be found in front of several stores and businesses around town. Across the street from the statue, The Super Museum is filled with a $2.5 million collection of more than 20,000 items spanning 60 years of Superman memorabilia. Continue reading →