Copper John
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Copper John is a statue of an American Revolutionary War soldier that stands atop the Auburn Correctional Facility in Auburn, New York. It has entered the local lexicon as a reference to the prison and aspects of it, e.g., getting sent to Auburn Prison is "going to work for Copper John".
[edit] History
John was originally a wooden statue that was erected atop the administration office of the prison in 1821. In 1848, the statue had weathered so much that it was taken down and a new statue was made out of copper by the prisoners in the foundry.