Vandalized Copper Eagle

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Drs. Lori Collins and Travis Doering of the University of South Florida collaborated with Florida State Parks to revive a historic copper eagle sculpture integral to the Civil War monument at Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park. A 3D scanned model of this 6-foot wing-span copper eagle was used to forge a durable bronze replica, carefully crafted to replace the heavily damaged original piece. The scanning process utilized both a Minolta 9i triangulation instrument and an articulating arm with FARO laser probe to capture precise details of the sculpture. Although numerous gun blasts had severely compromised the original, major holes were digitally filled in while maintaining records of bullet spray patterns for historical accuracy. Joseph Conrad, Steven Fernandez, and Jorge Gonzalez contributed significantly to this project, culminating in a refined model that was ultimately used to create the bronze replica now proudly displayed atop the monument once again.