New Lincoln statue in Mt. Pulaski a notable landmark at the historic courthouse

 

[July 25, 2023] 

Sunday afternoon a very large crowd of people gathered on the lawn of the Mt. Pulaski Courthouse, anxiously waiting for the unveiling of the new Abraham Lincoln Statue that has been placed on the grounds by the Mt. Pulaski Township Historical Society.

The project has been ongoing for quite some time, with the special statue committee working hard to raise $180,000 for the commission of the sculpture with artist John McClarey, the casting of the live sized end product, along with concrete work and landscaping for Abe’s permanent new home in the heart of the town.

As people arrived, they were greeted by local boy scouts, cub scouts, girls scouts and brownies who offered assistance up the first set of steps onto the lawn for those who needed it and handed out programs listing the order of speakers for the day.

The program also offered the following statement about the statue. “The Lincoln Statue Committee of the Mt. Pulaski Historical Society commissioned sculptor John McClarey to create a life-size, bronze statue of Mr. Lincoln. It depicts a young, beardless Abraham Lincoln, the lawyer, who practice law (1849 to 1855) at the Mt. Pulaski Courthouse and traveled the Eighth Judicial Circuit. Lincoln is sitting on a bench reading papers for his upcoming case about the Cast Iron Tombstone. He is scratching his head trying to figure out how to win his case.

“The idea of scratching his head is suggested by the artist and was inspired by Lincoln’s Own Words:

“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.”

A large tent was set up on the lawn with chairs that quickly filled to capacity. Guests brought lawn chairs and made their own seating where space allowed and those who had no chair, happily stood for the entire ceremony.

Mt. Pulaski Mayor Matt Bobell began the day asking everyone to stand as Boy Scout Troop 122 presented the colors. There was then the singing of the National Anthem by Jennifer Wernsing, and an invocation delivered by Barbara Stroud-Borth.

Mayor Bobell returned to the podium to welcome guests and express great appreciation to the Mt. Pulaski Historical Society for all they have done and still do for the community.

He also asked that everyone be sure to look at the plaque on display at the corner of the tent. It contained the names of people and groups who offered financial support to the project.

He said there was a long list of people that deserved gratitude for the statue and for the events of the day.

Among those on the list were Mike Anderson there for day entertaining guests with his dulcimer music. Boy Scout Troop 133, Cub Scout Troop 3122, girl scout Troop 1070, and the City of Mt. Pulaski for supplying the tent and chairs. Thanks was also given to Mike and Jennifer Richner of Hilltop Catering for the refreshments served after the ceremony. Market on the Hill also provided cookies along with Helen Schmidt. Lincoln Printers was thanked for the printing of the programs for the day.

Thanking those that contributed to the creation and placement of the statue, Bobell named Lane Davis, Conaway handyman; Doug Johnson, Ture Value Hardware; Dave Laesch Lumber Yard; Mt. Pulaski Courthouse Foundation, Mt. Pulaski Township Historical Museum, Seth and Leighann Remmert, and Harry and Karly Spell, Art Casing of Illinois.

The first introduction of a speaker was one that was not on the program. Tim Butler, former Illinois State Representative for the 87th District was on hand and was called to come up and say a few words.

Butler said that he had been to visit the Lincoln Memorial Garden in Springfield and had thought about it being a living memorial to Abraham Lincoln. He said that when one stops to think about it, the Mt. Pulaski Courthouse is also a living memorial. He said to think that this was an actual building where Lincoln practiced law, to realize that one is walking on the same floor in the courthouse where Lincoln himself would have walked is remarkable. He said the new statue was only going to add to that experience.

Butler quoted Ulysses S. Grant who spoke of Lincoln after the assignation. “To know him personally was to love and respect him for his great qualities of heart, and for his patience and patriotism.”

Butler said the statue was memorializing Lincoln for “his patience and his patriotism,” and it was simply the right thing to do.

The next person called upon was also not on the program, Illinois Senator Sally Turner. Mayor Bobell noted that Turner calls Mt. Pulaski home, and the town is very honored to have her call it her home.

“Our little town is a community of love. One of passion and pride and I am honored to call it my home.” Turner went on to comment on the passion of the Mt. Pulaski Historical Society including each of the committee members.

Turner said, “This day is one we will always remember in our community.”

On the program, Lincoln Historian Guy Fraker, who has visited Mt. Pulaski many times in past years was asked to share a few words.

Fraker drove home a very important point. He said that if Abraham Lincoln had not gone to the White House, we would be two nations today. He said that the Mt. Pulaski Courthouse had a direct connection to the presidency. It was here that Lincoln practiced law, and here that he because interested in politics. Had he not had this community and this foundation for his legal and political growth, he might not have gone on to the white house.

Fraker said that the community has shone remarkable support for the courthouse on the whole, and have kept it alive for all with little help from the state.

He brought laughs from the crowd when he explained some history of Mt. Pualski becoming the Logan County Seat for a period of time. He said that the reason Mt. Pulaski was chosen was because the people of the town had contributed $2,700 of the $3,000 it took to build the courthouse. He commented, “It seems you guys just can’t shake this, and that is there fault.”

John McClarey is the sculptor who created the statue. He was introduced by Mayor Bobell and came to the podium with a large array of notes about Abraham Lincoln. He said that while some might expect him to speak about the statue, he chose rather to speak about the man whom it depicts.

McClarey spoke about Lincoln’s constant search for truth. He said the statue is named Pursuit of Truth because finding the truth in all situations was always in the foreground of Lincoln’s work. He said the scratching of the head on this statue and others is symbolic of Lincoln’s thought process and strong desire to learn and be able to determine the truth in all things.

He recounted the story of the Tombstone Trial in the Mt. Pulaski Courthouse. He said the paperwork Lincoln holds pertains to that case, and represents how Lincoln read and searched for the truth of the lawsuit. The lawsuit involves the invention and patent of the cast iron tombstone in Mt. Pulaski. The creator brought in two investors. After signing a contract with the creator, the two decided that perhaps the contract had not been truthful and forthcoming in the facts. Lincoln was weighing the arguments, reading the documents and scratching his head over how to figure out the truth of the case. McClarey said Lincoln won his case, but the verdict was later overturned in a higher court.

McClarey went on to tell several other stories of Lincoln searching out the truth and trying to figure out the best approach to his case. As a circuit rider, McClarey said Lincoln often met with clients for the first and only time outside on the lawn of the courthouse. They would sit and talk, and Lincoln would reason out how to present his case. Thus having Lincoln on a bench outside studying the Tombstone Case files was perfectly reasonable.

He said Lincoln sometimes struggled with truth versus what is right and sometimes determined that the two did not go together. McClarey noted a case Lincoln was called on to argue. The defendant was an elderly lady who had lived her life abused by her husband. Finally, after decades of taking the abuse, she had all she could take, and she killed him. Lincoln knew she had committed the murder, but he also knew that perhaps she had cause to do so. He saw nothing to be gained by hanging an elderly lady who had finally gotten fed up with her husband’s abusive ways.

After his discussion with his client, Lincoln returned to the courtroom alone. The judge asked him where his client had gone too and Lincoln replied that she had desired a fresh drink of water, and he had advised here there was very good drinking water to be found in Tennessee.

The next person to come to the podium was Renee Martin, the Co-Chair of the Statue Committee beside Phyliss Beccue. Martin was quick to recognize Beccue for her strong will and determination to get the statue built.

Martin said that the idea was brought to her by Beccue and for a time, Martin sat on the idea, but finally she said “okay, let’s do it.” She said that she knew there were like-minded people and felt that it would not be that difficult to establish a committee. Martin noted that Barbara Stroud-Borth, a former site director and volunteer at the courthouse, had also had a vision of a statue, and had begun a statue fund. She said that offered a good start.

Martin also commented as a member of the Mt. Pulaski Courthouse Foundation about the $180,000 raised. She said some had asked why the money was going toward a statue instead of the ongoing restoration of the courthouse. She said the two were unrelated projects. She went on to say that there is an ongoing fundraiser for the courthouse restoration and that approximately $500,000 has been collected. She said restoration projects have begun. The first huge project had been replacing a broken beam in the attic that had nearly shut down the courthouse. Then the next project was the stripping of the paint and point tucking of the east wall of the courthouse exterior. She said the next project will be the west wall and the courthouse steps leading up to the front doors.

Martin introduced Beccue and offered her a big hug as she came to the podium. Beccue said that she had long wanted to have a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Mt. Pulaski. She had always thought about how that the town and the courthouse had such a rich history with Lincoln but had no real ‘Lincoln’ in the town. The statue was something that would be a great asset to the courthouse and the community. She said it would increase tourism interest in the community.

She said she had spoken to Martin about the idea and the two had taken on the project.

She said that Martin had done all the paperwork required by the state, and that it had been a large and difficult undertaking.

Beccue had taken to the road, talking to groups and organizations about funding the project. She said that Martin was always invited to join her on these missions, but she quipped that they had decided groups might be more willing to give to Beccue “because they didn’t want to see an old lady cry.”

She also noted that the statue was designed to be interactive. The concrete pad and the walkway to the statue invited people to come and get close. There are benches surrounding the statue where folks can sit and relax, but they are also welcome to sit on the bench beside Lincoln for photos to commemorate their visits to Mt. Pulaski.

Beccue ended with a sincere thank you to the people of Mt. Pulaski.

When Beccue was finished, the boy scouts, girl scouts, McClarey, Beccue and Martin did the honors of unveiling the statue for the first time.

Mayor Bobell led the audience in reading the dedication in the program, “On this day, July 23, 2023, we the people “in pursuit of truth” dedicate this statue to all people.

Mayor Bobell said that it had been “an awe-inspiring moment” and that the statue would be present for all generations to come.

Mt. Pulaski courthouse Site Director Steve Martin was the last to speak, thanking everyone for their support of the statue and the courthouse. He encouraged everyone to stay and visit the statue as well as the courthouse. He also invited all to stay for the large array of food that had been prepared by Hilltop Caterers.

Steve Martin said that at first he wasn’t sure he was sold on the statue. He was kind of skeptical, then Phyliss Beccue had said to him, “Well it was YOUR mother’s idea.” As everyone got a good laugh, Martin concluded that there was no way he was going to endure that wrath, so he got on board. He said he was glad he did. It was a great project, a great statue, and an asset to the courthouse.

As folks began to stand and make their way toward the statue and the food and drink, the scouts retired the colors, leaving the rest of the afternoon for those in attendance to examine the statue and mark the day with photos.

[Nila Smith]