2017 Road Trip: Pontiac, Illinois / Young Mr. Lincoln – by Rick Harney

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Young Mr. Lincoln – by Rick Harney

Dedicated: June 23, 2006.

Location: South side of the Livingston County courthouse square, Pontiac, IL.

The life-size statue depicts Mr. Lincoln as the young lawyer who came to Pontiac many times to try cases in the circuit court.

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Young Mr. Lincoln - by Rick Harney.

Young Mr. Lincoln – by Rick Harney.

 

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Young Mr. Lincoln - by Rick Harney.

Young Mr. Lincoln – by Rick Harney.

 

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Young Mr. Lincoln - by Rick Harney.

Memorial Bricks / Young Mr. Lincoln – by Rick Harney.

 

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Surrounding the statue are engraved memorial bricks which were sold to help pay for the statue and its installation.
Memorial Bricks are still available in the $100 size.

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Looking for Lincoln

Looking for Lincoln

 

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Looking for Lincoln

In 2009, in celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday, the State of Illinois gathered together a number of towns that had immediate connections to Lincoln’s past. Pontiac, as Livingston County seat, and part of the 8th Judicial District when Lincoln served as a traveling attorney, of course was one of those towns.  In order to share the many stories about Lincoln’s life before he left Illinois for Washington DC and the White House, the State helped to fund the creation of a total of 215 exhibits, located in 52 communities. Each of these exhibits tells a story about Lincoln’s connections to that local community.  The City of Pontiac has nine of these exhibits.  For more.. click here..

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Livingston County Courthouse .

Livingston County Courthouse .

 

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Livingston County Courthouse.

Livingston County was established by an act of the Illinois Legislature on February 27, 1837. At that time both Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas were members of the Illinois House of Representatives. The county was created by taking land from McLean, Vermilion, Cook, and LaSalle counties. For the first four years of the county’s existence, private homes served as occasional courtrooms or county offices.

The current courthouse is the county’s 3rd courthouse. Construction began on this building as soon as the lot was cleared of debris from the fire. Work was completed on the building in late 1875. This building is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. The architect, J.C. Cochrane of Chicago, also designed the Iowa State Capital.

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Related Links

Exploring Pontiac, Illinois.. click here..
Exploring Route 66, Illinois.. click here..
Exploring Home State Illinois.. click here..

My Vacations Photo Gallery.. click here..

Vacation: USA / Illinois.. click here..
Vacation: USA.. click here..
Vacation: USA.. click here..
Vacation: UK.. click here..
Vacation: India.. click here..
UNESCO World Heritage Site.. click here..

Home: Public Art in Chicago.. .. click here..

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