Using His Skull to Spread God’s Word

Motorists on Harbor Boulevard whip a double-take. Tourists snap pictures. Curiosity-seekers stop to explore its message.

A monster-size fiberglass skull sitting on Stacey Parker’s front porch--an adornment he describes as an expression of his religious beliefs--has become quite an attention-grabber.

Even the city is taking notice of the house, dubbed “the Place of the Skull.”

Code enforcement officials have ordered Parker to remove the 9-foot-tall, 7-foot-wide skull by today or else face possible misdemeanor charges.

The decoration is a public nuisance and is “considered to be inappropriate by its design and size,” officials said in a warning letter.

Parker, citing his right to free expression, said he hopes to work something out with the city.

“Of course I hope they let me keep the skull,” he said.

Parker, 35, who runs a small board and care home for the developmentally disabled out of his house, erected the skull, painted white with black nose and eye cavities, in October.

But it wasn’t for Halloween.

Instead, Parker said he wanted to introduce people to Christianity and spread the word of the Bible.

According to Scripture, Jesus Christ was crucified at the place of the skull, Parker said.

“The skull is like a bait to catch the fish,” he said. “Jesus has called us to be fishers of men.”

Passers-by have snatched up more than 600 fliers stacked in a newspaper rack near the skull. The fliers direct people to read the Bible to find out more about the skull.

“I’ve just never seen anything like it before,” said Jess Gatley, 22, of Boston, who stopped to take a photograph Thursday afternoon.

Parker’s closest neighbors say they’ve gotten used to the oddity.

“People who come by our house think it’s strange because it’s not Halloween,” said Laura Burduja, who lives next door. “But it’s not bothering us, and I think it’s his decision whether to keep it there or not.”