Statue of Abraham Lincoln (Jefferson, Iowa)

The Lincoln Statue is an historic structure located on the grounds of the Greene County Courthouse in Jefferson, Iowa, United States. It was erected in 1918, and individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[1] In 2011 it was included as a contributing property in the Jefferson Square Commercial Historic District.[2]

Lincoln Statue
Statue of Abraham Lincoln (Jefferson, Iowa) is located in Iowa
Statue of Abraham Lincoln (Jefferson, Iowa)
Statue of Abraham Lincoln (Jefferson, Iowa) is located in the United States
Statue of Abraham Lincoln (Jefferson, Iowa)
LocationJunction of Lincoln Way and Chestnut St.
Jefferson, Iowa
Coordinates42°0′55.5″N 94°22′26.75″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1918
Built byBureau Brothers Foundry
ArchitectW. Granville Hastings
Part ofJefferson Square Commercial Historic District (ID11000503)
MPSThe Lincoln Highway in Greene County, Iowa MPS
NRHP reference No.93000165[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 29, 1993

History

This was the first statue of Abraham Lincoln built beside, and dedicated to, the Lincoln Highway.[3] The statue is a replica of W. Granville Hastings' statue in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was a gift of Mr. and Mrs. E.B. Wilson.[4] The bronze statue is life size, and it stands on a two-tiered concrete base. The lower base features a pebblestone finish, and the upper portion is faced with 2 inches (5.1 cm) of granite.[3] A bronze plaque with the closing paragraph of Lincoln's second inaugural address is affixed to the upper portion of the base.

The Wilsons decided to donate the statue when the present courthouse was completed in 1917. Because they had no children they reasoned they should give something substantial to the community.[3] The Greene County Board of Supervisors agreed to pay half the cost of the base. The Bureau Brothers Foundry of Philadelphia was contracted to create the statue, and they included the plaque at no expense. It was originally planned that the statue would stand atop a base of pink granite from Pipestone, Minnesota. However, because of World War I the War Industries Board, refused to permit the quarrying and carving the stone until the war was over. The Capitol Hill Monument Company of Des Moines erected a temporary concrete base for the statue's dedication on September 22, 1918. The "temporary" base was replaced in 1964. The Iowa State Highway Commission Service Bulletin and the Lincoln Highway Forum used a photograph of the new statue on the cover of their publications in 1918. The Lincoln Highway placed an image of the statue on its mission statement in 1920.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. James E. Jacobsen. "Jefferson Square Commercial Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
  3. Rebecca Conard. "Lincoln Statue". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-02-23. with photos
  4. "Hastings Statue in Jefferson, Iowa". Abraham Lincoln Online. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
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