Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
GARGOYLES
GARGOYLES. The traditional term "gargoyle" referred to a device to direct water away from walls.
Many medieval cathedrals included gargoyles. Although most have grotesque features, the term gargoyle has come to include all types of images. Some gargoyles were depicted as monks, or combinations of real animals and people, many of which were humorous. They served more as ornamentation, but are now synonymous with gargoyles.
These figures from the front of DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL could be considered gargoyles under the modern definition.
