SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum has a new way to celebrate the sixteenth president's larger-than-life legacy.
"We're installing a wonderful sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and a modern man by the great sculptor, Seward Johnson," he said. "It's a mammoth sculpture, weighing over 37,000 pounds and it's 31 feet tall. So, it's pretty awesome."
A crowd surrounded the sculpture's resting place for hours on Wednesday as the installation happened.
“To see a modern man with a wedding band and tennis shoes, standing by Abraham Lincoln, it’s really exciting," said onlooker Francie Staggs of Sangamon County.
"I've spent 4,300 hours volunteering for the library and museum," she said.
The sculpture is called Return Visit. It depicts a discussion of the Gettysburg Address. Lowe says the library has one of the few handwritten copies of the Gettysburg Address in its archives. Leaders behind getting the sculpture to Springfield hope it will be a draw for tourists.
"We think our visitors will really appreciate coming to the capitol city, the home of Lincoln, and have 'instagrammable' moments right here in the capitol city," said Scott Dahl, director of Springfield tourism.
Dahl says Return Visit has the potential to be seen by 600,000 people during its time in the capitol. The sculpture will call Springfield home until September of 2020.
