SPRINGFIELD —  Don't be alarmed by the 60-pound beaver on the fifth floor of the Clark County Offices and Municipal Court Building.

It's just the new unofficial county mascot — even though it's dead, County Commissioner John Detrick said.

Aptly named — you guessed it — "Clarkie," the beaver is on display because it was the largest critter of its kind that had been caught around here, the commissioner said.

Clarkie's story begins in 2003 when it met with an untimely end after being hit by a car on U.S Route 68 just south of the Ohio Masonic Home, Detrick said.

Harold Blackwood, former game warden, took the oversized beaver to Anderson Taxidermy because "it was unique and offered a historical and educational value for the county," Blackwood recalled.

Clarkie is now on a sort of a tour, having spent nearly a year at the Clark County Heritage Center before its debut at the municipal building, 50 E. Columbia St.

Detrick, who personally paid for Clarkie to be mounted, said it's not only interesting to see a beaver of that size, but it's also a glimpse into the past.

"The beaver played a role in the settlement of the area in the 1700s because trappers would collect their pelts," Detrick said. "It's a very good teaching tool."

It may comfort some to know that Clarkie's ill-fated crossing of the highway was not in vain.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0374 or boutten@coxohio.com.