Life Story

Bill Adams was an amazing artist and designer.  His work was recognized especially for his creation of the 37-foot-tall Santa which became an instant sensation and a trademark for the town of Philipsburg throughout the 1960’s and early 70’s.  Bill was well-known for his artistic abilities.  His picture in the 1937 Philipsburg High School yearbook noted him as “our favorite artist, and with a pencil he’s the smartest”.  After high school, he applied for a job with the Disney company, started by Walt and his brother Roy in 1923.  He actually received a personal response from Walt Disney offering him a job.  But, due to family responsibilities after the death of his mother, he turned the offer down to remain in Philipsburg to look after his family.

From the Philipsburg Daily Journal of Nov. 20, 1962; “CHIMNEY SHAKING SANTA CLAUS HERE.  Claus arrived in town Sunday afternoon with much ceremony.  It took about four hours for him to get settled, but when he did he created quite a sensation in the ‘burg’ and continues to do so.”

“For he is no ordinary Santa.  He measures 37 feet high and 25 feet wide, the distance from the top of his head to the tip of his beard spans 11 feet.  The location, for those who haven’t seen him, the jolly soul from the North Pole is situated smack-dab in the American Legion lot, corner of Presqueisle and Centre streets.”

“A project of the John Ashley Denis Jr. Post No. 437 American Legion, Santa Claus was the brainchild of Bill Adams, who was the manager of the Legion Post at the time. With the assistance of the Legion Auxiliary and other post members, he began to build Santa in 18 four-foot sections in the post basement.  Then, the plywood sections were assembled into larger sections at the borough building before final assembly on the Legion lot.  He became an instant sensation and will remain there throughout the Christmas season.  Afterwards, he will be disassembled and put away for safekeeping until next year when he will be erected on the same spot.”

From the Daily Journal, Dec. 20, 1963; “Philipsburg’s biggest holiday greeter, Santa Claus, who made his first appearance last year returned again this Christmas with additional trimming—a large bag of toys and site lighting.  Designer Bill Adams plans to enlarge the illuminated exhibit with additions each year.  Many pictures were taken after sundown by local and visiting photographers.”  True to his word, in 1964 five tin soldiers were added to guard Santa and his bag.

According to local historian Catherine Wrye, “Santa Claus appeared at the Legion lot for 10 years.  It quickly became a Philipsburg tradition and was really loved by residents of the ‘berg’.  Every year Bill touched up the paint and added toys to the bag.”

Then, Santa was not displayed for several years.  The town residents were disturbed because he had become a tradition.  In 1976 he was once again erected, but at the Harbor Inn.  Bill was unhappy about the location close to Moshannon Creek as the dampness was causing paint to flake and wood to deteriorate.  After that, he was stored for many years.

Then, in 1994, a group of area citizens, the Santa Association, approached Bill about reassembling Santa to put up again.  Santa had been found to be in very poor condition after years of storage needed a face lift.  At the age of 77, Bill began supervising the restoration.  Many volunteers helped to clean, replace damaged plywood, sand and prepare the wood for Bill to begin repainting.  On Nov. 26, 1995, Santa was again placed at the Legion lot.  It stayed several years there and was then moved to an area in front of Mitchell Oil’s bulk warehouse, across from the Ames Plaza. 

The condition of Santa again deteriorated in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, and Bill passed away in November of 2001.  For a time, he remained in storage until once again being heroically restored by Philipsburg Elks Lodge #1173 in 2005.  Since then, he has been placed in a permanent staging area at Cold Stream Dam where he continues to be erected each Christmas.   

It is hard to explain to young people today the interest that was generated in this giant plywood Santa 60+ years ago.  People came from far and near to get a look at his immense presence, or to get a picture taken with him.  (This proved to be quite difficult due to the extreme difference in scale.)  One of the pictures in the photos section of this memorial shows Bill in a Santa suit standing in front of his giant creation.  He is so tiny in comparison he is almost invisible in the lower left corner. 

Some interesting facts about Santa. He had more than a dozen coats of paint over the years and his belt buckle was originally finished in 24-karat gold leaf.  Santa had special meaning to Bill, so he made him 37 feet tall because that was Bill’s graduation year from Philipsburg High School.  The letter “A” was on a large wooden block in Santa’s bag for “Adams”.  The 5 toy soldiers, added in 1964, were not all the same, one was winking, and one had dark skin. The one with the dark skin was stolen not long after the soldiers were put up, and was never recovered.

Bill was well known locally for his incredible design work and artistry.  He created silhouette portraits which hung in many local homes.  He collaborated with Tom “T” Sellers, with True Value Hardware store to develop the “Christmas Place”.  This created a large regional draw, with many out-of-town shoppers visiting what was then a novel venue.  The “Christmas Place” is still a very popular venue during the holiday season.  Santa was a great draw for Philipsburg and many people who came to town also visited the “Christmas Place”.

The two men developed the idea of setting up mock living rooms with theme-based decorations including trees, wreaths, mantel tops, etc.  All the ornaments and accessories used in the setups were for sale in the store, as well as all manner of other Christmas lights and decor.  In addition, the decorated display rooms were sold intact to many people.  Favorite themes were sparked by smash hit movies, specific time periods, outdoor rustic settings and religious themes.  Bill also did contract design and decorating for commercial clients, like the Harbor Inn, including setting up theme-based decorations for various holidays. 

Some of Bill’s most incredible work was done for the 1st Presbyterian Church of Philipsburg, where he was a lifelong member.  As a part of the church’s Worship Committee, he provided all of his incredible skills toward the normal weekly adornment of the church as well as the decorations for all holidays and special events like weddings.  His work was spectacular and still remembered by older parishioners of the church.

Bill loved life and relished the recognition that came with his Santa.  He was very family oriented and spent much of his life looking after them.  In fact, all the siblings lived within a one block area, He enjoyed serious stamp collecting, a hobby once enjoyed by many. He also was involved with model trains, the big O gauge Lionel models, and always had an elaborate setup for Christmas.

 The photo section of this memorial contains some pictures of the many ways that Bill Adams added to the general joy of Philipsburg.