CENTERVILLE, Tenn. -- The town of Centerville wants a beloved icon back, but the man who donated a statue of Minnie Pearl to the city wants $10,000 to return her.

Related: Watch This Story

Pearl's statue is standing tall at the Grinders Switch Winery off Highway 50 in Centerville. Until last year, the statue was at the town square, but when the statue had to be moved to make way for parking, that started a dispute.

Now, relatives of the late Grand Ole Opry star said it's all gone too far.

"She and Henry came to my wedding," said Mary Beth Pruett, the great-niece of the late Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon. "We had our picture made with Ophelia and Henry, me and my husband. My husband loved her, and she loved him. It was just great."

Her great-aunt is loved by many in her hometown of Centerville, but the controversy over her statue, she wouldn't have loved, said Pruett.

“She probably wouldn't have thought she deserved a statue to begin with, but she certainly wouldn't have wanted it going back and forth like this,” Pruett said.

"I don't know who owns the statue; it was gifted to the town of Centerville," said Bob Bohn, the new mayor of Centerville.

Rod Harris was the man behind the Pearl statue donation. He gave it to the town in 2005. Four years later, renovations forced Pearl to be moved, violating an agreement Harris had with the town.

According to their deal, if the town moved the statue for anything other than to repair it, the town forfeited its right to it. So now to get Pearl back, the town must pay $10,000 for Harris' attorney fees.

"It's not fair he should be out money to defend an agreement that was pretty clear," said Philip Lyon, Harris' attorney.

"It kind of seems like a hostage situation. I just don't understand. It doesn't look like we are going to get it back," said Pruett.

The mayor said the town is going to move ahead.

"We have been in talks with different sculptors around the country -- some in Tennessee, some as far west as Colorado -- getting quotes on a replacement statue," said Gary Jacobs, president of the Hickman County Chamber of Commerce and a town alderman.

A plaque is all ready, the spot for a new statue is marked and Pearl's great-niece said she feels the town needs it.

“The town needs something to be proud of, and we need to be able to smile," said Pruett.

According to the mayor, the town doesn't have the money for a new statue, but it does have some people already willing to make donations toward a new one.

Some of the quotes Centerville has received from different sculptors range between $30,000 and $150,000.

The bronze statue was donated to the town of Centerville on Oct. 25, 2000, which marked Pearl's 93rd birthday.

She was born about two blocks from the town square.