Rusty: Sledgehammer Muffler Man

Granite City, Illinois

This custom 20-foot-tall statue, molded from a 1960s original Muffler Man by fiberglass artist Mark Cline, is "a tribute to every blue-collar worker" in Granite City, according to his accompanying plaque. He wears a hard hat, carries a sledgehammer, and on the ground next to his steel-toed boots is a lunchbox labeled, "Made in America." Rusty stands at the entrance to Lincoln Place, a working class neighborhood settled by immigrants, many of whom found jobs in Granite City's rail yards and steel works. "This Muffler Man is more than fiberglass and bolts," declares his plaque. "He's a sentinel of the working class... A reminder that the American Dream lives here." Rusty arrived in June 2025.