"Lincoln rallies the people" once again
New statue commemorates 1858 campaign speech
 

[April 29, 2015]  LINCOLN - On Monday afternoon, the long awaited Abraham Lincoln statue arrived in the city of Lincoln. The statue was delivered by its sculptor, David Seagraves, and was set in place with the assistance of a forklift provided by the Logan County Highway Department, help from statue committee member John Sutton, and others.

The statue is a life-size depiction of Abraham Lincoln as he delivered his speech now known as “Lincoln rallies the people” on the steps of the Logan County Courthouse on October 16, 1858.

The then Illinois legislator was traveling via train and just coming off of the great Lincoln-Douglas debates when running for Senator. He made a stop in his namesake town and was greeted by a huge crowd in the downtown area as folks came from all over the county and beyond in masses to see and hear their favorite candidate.

The story of the speech was all but lost in the history books, but it was well documented in Logan County. In 2009, Lincoln College and Main Street Lincoln unveiled a painting of the day of the speech created by artist Jennifer Boeke. That painting now hangs in the Lincoln Heritage Museum on the campus of Lincoln College.

When the beloved Civil War Soldier fell to the ground in 2008 due to a terrible winter storm, a committee was formed to have a new statue erected. After much debate, it was decided that the new soldier would be made of bronze. The artist David Seagrave was chosen. Seagrave had previously worked with Logan County on the Indian Maiden statue that now sits on the south side of the courthouse.

Seagraves accepted the commission, and on Saturday April 9, 2011 the Civil War soldier statue was dedicated in a public celebration on the courthouse lawn.

In 2012, some of the members of that committee decided to take on another project. They wanted to create a statue that would reflect Abraham Lincoln as he appeared in the painting done by Boeke, and place it on the courthouse lawn as well. With no local government funding available, the group set out to raise the funds for the project through fundraisers and private donations.

The first fundraiser was held in February of 2013.

In August of 2013, the biggest fundraiser campaign began. Miniature bronzes of the statue were created by Seagrave. The bronzes sold for $2,000 each. The committee committed to selling 30 bronzes, each one numbered according to the order in which it was cast. The first person to purchase a statue was Joe Mintjal, who is an avid collector or Lincoln art and memorabilia is a member of the Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society, and a member of the statue committee. The second statue was purchased by the State Bank of Lincoln and added to its collection of Lincoln art in the branch located on Broadway at Sangamon Street.

Over the next 12 months fundraising efforts continued with the sale of the statues, Christmas Ornaments, postcards, and a special fundraiser hosted by the fifth-grade students of Northwest School.

The last large fundraiser was held during the National Railsplitting Festival in September of 2014. Hand-painted carousel horses in memory of Lincoln’s favorite horse when riding the judicial circuit, Old Bob, were sold.

In November of 2014, the committee raffled off the last “Old Bob,” which was won by Judy Morrow of Lincoln. The fundraising was rounded out with the generous support of a grant from the Woods Foundation.

The committee soon moved forward with the commission of the full-sized bronze.

On Monday, Seagraves delivered the statue to Lincoln

The work involved to get the statue standing required the help of several people, as the bolts were installed in the base of the statue, holes were marked in the concrete, and a professional millwright drilled the holes, and set the statue using epoxy.

As the work progressed, the number of spectators continued to grow and included most all the members of the committee, several downtown business people, and members of Logan County government offices.

When he was completely in place, the spectators clapped and cheered for a job well done, and a new special commemorative of the U.S. President most near and dear to the heart of Logan County will now stand for the generations.

The statue committee then posed for a picture with the statue, forever documenting that they were the first to have such a photo taken.

A special marker was also placed that contains excerpts from area newspapers reporting on the 1858 speech in Lincoln.

There will be an official dedication ceremony for the statue on May 16th at 1 p.m. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

[Nila Smith]