Historical society seeks donations for Civil War monument restoration

[May 29, 2009]  June 10 will mark the 140th anniversary of the dedication of the Logan County Civil War Soldiers' Monument on the courthouse square in Lincoln. Gov. Richard Oglesby, a general, gave the dedication address. The names of 322 men from Logan County who died during the Civil War are etched on the monument. During recent research on the monument, another 116 names were added to that list. The monument was erected to honor those who gave their lives that their country would continue to be united and free.

The statue atop the monument was destroyed by a storm just two days after Christmas in December 2008. A committee has been organized to assess the condition of the remaining portion of the monument, replace the statue on the monument and install a memorial board inside the courthouse listing the names of all men who served from Logan County with recognition of those who died during their service. The Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society and the county board are supervising and supporting the work of the committee.

The project is to be funded by donations from the public. The committee will be limited in its ability to accomplish the goals only by the amount of those donations. The committee will soon determine the total cost of the project after conferring with several artisans interested in doing the work.

The Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society is accepting tax-deductible donations for the project at the society's Research Center. The address is 114 N. Chicago St., Lincoln, IL 62656. Please make checks payable to "Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society." Fill in the memo blank to indicate that the donation is for the "CW Monument Project."

A book titled "Logan County Illinois' Civil War Dead, Monument Dedication and History" was recently published. The book includes the governor's address, information about the 438 known Logan County Civil War soldiers whose deaths are memorialized by the monument, tables of information regarding the soldiers listed in the book, and articles and historic photos of the monument. The book is available only through the Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society in Lincoln. Cost of the book is $20, with $5 of that going to the monument project. Mailing cost of $4 should be added to the $20 cost of the book when ordering.

For further information, contact Paul Gleason, who chairs the committee for the Civil War statue, or Bill Donath, president of the Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society.

[Text from file received from Bill Donath, Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society]