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 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.
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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]
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