Drawing completes fundraising for new Abraham Lincoln statue

[November 11, 2014]  LINCOLN - The Abraham Lincoln Statue Committee held the final fund raiser Saturday to help fund the life-sized statue that will be placed on the grounds of the Logan County Courthouse in downtown Lincoln. The raffle was for a child sized carousel horse painted to resemble Abe Lincoln’s favorite horse, Old Bob, which he rode while traveling the central Illinois judicial circuit.

The winning raffle ticket was drawn from a top hat at the National Rent-to-Own Store. Judy Morrow was the winner.

The mini-horse was painted by Statue Committee member John Sutton. Sutton kept the original brown coat and black mane of Old Bob but added a red, white, and blue motif to honor President Lincoln.

Sculptor David Seagraves will finish the Lincoln statue by the end of December, after which it will be stored at his studio in Mount Morris until the dedication ceremony scheduled for next spring. The statue is life sized, about 6 feet 4 inches tall, and will be placed on a concrete pedestal that will be ground level so visitors to Lincoln can pose next to it and get a sense of Mr. Lincoln’s height.

Money from this final fund raiser will be set aside for maintenance of the statue, to craft a sign for it, and replace the patina which has to be done every ten years to keep the bronze statue from turning green. Committee member Wanda Lee Rohlfs said that over $1000 had been raised since the raffle started last July. The money will also be used to maintain the Civil War soldier, located on the northeast corner of the courthouse square.

[Curt Fox]