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In addition to the statue replacement, the project includes the
installation of a name board in the courthouse to honor the more
than 2,400 men who left Logan County to serve in the war, and
installation of a display board near the monument, listing the names
of the approximately 447 men from Logan County who died during the
war, a photo of the original statue and excerpts from the 1869
dedication oration by then-Gov. Richard J. Oglesby, a former
general. The statue of a soldier that sat atop the monument
dedicated to those men who died was destroyed by a combination of
erosion of the marble over 140 years and a freak windstorm that
toppled the statue on Dec. 27, 2008.
The engravings on the original monument of the names of 326 Civil
War men who died have been erased by erosion of the stone. Names of
an additional 125 men who died during the war were found during
research for a history of the monument. The display board near the
monument will be of the type being installed to identify other
historical incidents or locations around the county.
The more than 2,000 men who served Logan County during this great
American conflict and survived have no memorial to their service and
sacrifice. The name board to be installed in the courthouse will be
of the same type as other name boards in the courthouse honoring
military service. The location of the name board will be on the
second floor, opposite a mural of a young Abraham Lincoln.
All deserve to be recognized for their patriotism and the
sacrifices they endured for preservation of the United States.
In just 12 short months the country will be observing the 150th
anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. The committee's goal
is to have the name boards completed long before that anniversary
begins.
The county board has contributed an insurance payment plus
tourism funds that will nearly cover the cost of replacing the
statue with a bronze statue.
The committee is seeking contributions to cover the cost
remaining for the statue, the name board in the courthouse and the
display board near the monument. The remaining portion is about
$14,000. Given that Logan County has a population of more than
30,000, if each county resident donated $1 or each family donates
$5, the committee would have enough money to complete the entire
project within the next year.
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Contributions should be sent to the Logan County Genealogical &
Historical Society, 114 N. Chicago St., Lincoln, IL 62656. Checks
are to be made out to the Logan County Genealogical Society and
clearly marked for the Civil War Memorial project.
Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society is a tax-exempt
organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Donors to this project and the society can deduct contributions as
provided in Section 170 of the code. (See Addendum F: 501(c)(3),
verification letter)
Contributors will be assigned a rank
according to the following list (rank, minimum donation):
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Corporal, under $100
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Sergeant, $100
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Lieutenant, $250
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Captain, $500
-
Colonel, $1,000
-
General, $2,500
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Medal of Honor, $5,000
Families who know of soldiers who served from Logan County may
check that those men have been included in the list for the name
board by stopping at 114 N. Chicago St. or calling 217-732-3200. The
lists for both memorial boards can also be found at your local
library or historical society.
See list of Logan County's Civil
War dead.
[Text from file received from
Logan County Genealogical
& Historical Society] |
