The full-size bronze work recalls Lincoln's first visit there
in 1840 as a 31-year-old lawyer. At the time he was a law
partner with John Todd Stuart in Springfield, but also traveled to
county circuit courts throughout central Illinois. The courthouses
he visited in Pontiac no longer stand; the present structure
opened 10 years after his death.
This pose shows Lincoln leaning against a split-rail fence, symbolic
of his frontier upbringing before becoming a self-taught lawyer.
The statue unveiling on June 23, 2006 attracted a crowd of hundreds.
Sculptor Rick Harney also created the Lincoln statue beside the
McLean County Historical Museum of History in Bloomington. Harney Statue
in Pontiac, Illinois
Stop by downtown Pontiac to see this Lincoln statue on
the grounds of the beautifully restored Livingston County Courthouse.
You'll find the town about 40 miles northwest of Bloomington off
Interstate 55.
<Click on picture to continue.