Photograph by Christopher Heather
The statues form a gateway to the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum,
dedicated in September 2001 to mark the 143rd anniversary of
the Charleston debate.McClarey Statue
in Charleston, Illinois
These life-size bronze figures depict the fourth debate between Abraham Lincoln
and Stephen Douglas held September 18, during the 1858 senatorial campaign. Illinois
sculptor John McClarey arranged the figures to face each other across a
metaphorical divide. He says they represent the chasm of the "House Divided,"
with both men considering the country's split over slavery and its extension.
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