Lincoln Statue "Pursuit of Truth" to be unveiled At dedication ceremony Sunday in Mt. Pulaski

 

[July 19, 2023] 

The Mt. Pulaski Historical Society (Lincoln Statue Committee) has commissioned sculptor John McClarey to create a life-size, bronze statue of Mr. Lincoln to commemorate the Cast Iron Tombstone Case and is titled, "Pursuit of Truth". The statue will depict a younger, beardless Abraham Lincoln-the lawyer, who practiced law (1849 to 1855) at the Mt. Pulaski Courthouse and traveled the Eighth Judicial Circuit.

There will be a dedication ceremony and unveiling of the statue on July 23, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. on the Mt. Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site lawn located at 113 S. Washington Street. Refreshments will be provided by Hilltop Catering and Lincoln cookies will be provided by Helen Schmidt.

Local community members and Lincoln enthusiasts, Phyllis Beccue, Jean Martin, and Betty Hickey started a Lincoln statue initiative many years ago. Unfortunately, the project never came to fruition. Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Hickey have since passed on, but Mrs. Beccue never gave up the dream of having a bronze statue on the lawn.

In 2019, Mrs. Beccue made one last attempt to get this initiative moving. A couple of years later a Lincoln Statue Committee, under the Mt. Pulaski Historical Society, was formed. This committee, under the leadership of Phyllis Beccue, has worked diligently to raise funds and crossed their goal line quicker than expected. Renee Martin, Co-Chair of the Lincoln Statue committee states, “Phyllis Beccue is always working hard for the betterment of the Mt. Pulaski Community, and she does it with such passion and grace. She is an amazing leader and asset to not only our community, but county. It has been an absolute pleasure co-chairing this committee with her. She is not only an inspiration to me, but to many others. Without her and a very zealous and supportive statue committee, this project wouldn’t have been possible.” Martin continues, “We are thankful for all the donations that helped make this possible. We also appreciate the large amount of community support for this project and are happy to be a part of something that will last for many generations to come.”

Visitors will be able to sit next to Abraham Lincoln who is sitting on a bench reading papers for his upcoming case about the Cast Iron Tombstone and scratching his head trying to figure out how to win his case. The idea of scratching his head was suggested by the artist John McClarey and was inspired by a Lincoln quote. "I am slow to learn and slow to forget that which I have learned. My mind is like a piece of steel, very hard to scratch anything on it and almost impossible after you get it there to rub it out." -Abraham Lincoln

The statue will enhance the Lincoln legacy, help promote tourism, as well as contribute to a strong, positive image of the community.

About the Artist:

John McClarey of Decatur, Illinois, specializes in the form and thought of Abraham Lincoln. His life-size sculptured works of Lincoln, at times with another figure, can be found in thirteen Illinois sites. His most prized works include the heroic size Lincoln for the centerpiece of the Lincoln Presidential Library complex in Springfield, and a bronze bust of Lincoln for the Russian State Library for Foreign Literature in Moscow.

While in Moscow, Mr. McClarey served as a “Lincoln Ambassador” under a grant from the United States State Department. Other Lincoln works can be found in the Hall of the Revolution in Havana, Cuba, and Askikaga, Japan. His collected works can be found in the Library of Congress, the Illinois Supreme Court, the United States Supreme Court, the Eastern National Park Service, twelve or thirteen schools of Law, including the University of Illinois, as well as in many private collections. He was the 2005 recipient of the Richard Nelson Current Award of Achievement at the Lincoln Forum in Gettysburg, the first anti-historian to receive this award. In 2009, the artist was elected to the Order of Lincoln, the state’s highest award, and in 2008 was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the College of Arts and Sciences at Illinois State University. His most recent piece, “Iron Determination” was dedicated in the reconstructed Old Courthouse Square in Rockford, Illinois in 2009.

His “Field of Dreams” National Abraham Lincoln Agricultural Award was presented in 2007 and again in 2009 to ten persons with distinguished accomplishments in Agriculture at the National Farm Progress Show held in Decatur. Mr. McClarey’s works have appeared in the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, Illinois Issues, Illinois Heritage, and in numerous book and film documentaries on Lincoln including the PBS Illinois Stories. Major non-Lincoln sculpture commissions include the founders of Methodism for Bicentennial of American Methodism, and the founder and first President of Millikin University in Decatur. In 2002, he presented six lectures on Lincoln as depicted in his art at Lincoln Land College in Springfield, and in 2009 was a guest lecturer at Millikin as part of the Lincoln Bicentennial celebration. McClarey holds a B.A. from Millikin and a M.S. from Illinois State University. He has taught school at many levels and worked in state government for many years. He resides on a farm near Decatur with his wife, Carole.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Co-Chairs-Phyllis Beccue and Renee Martin

Barbara Stroud-Borth, Joyce Maxheimer, Allen Schaal, Sue Schaffenacker, Sue Stewart, Marla Blair, Rick Volle, and Steve Martin.

[Renee Martin]