SPRINGFIELD, IL- A theft that damaged a historic monument in central Illinois has finally been repaired at no cost to taxpayers.

In October 2011 a vandal came into the Oak Ridge Cemetery and damaged a statue on top of Lincoln's tomb. Friday, the statue was finally fixed. 

The man behind the work is Chicago sculptor Marshall Svendsen. After the sword was stolen from a statue last fall, Svendsen's offered to work on the statue for free.

Not only is Svendsen doing the work for free, he is also one of the top people in his craft.

"We did our homework," says Catherine Shannon with the Historic Preservation Agency. "We reviewed his work and checked his references. We're thrilled to have him doing this."

With thousands of tourists visiting Lincoln's tomb each year, it is important for the work to be historically accurate. Svendsen says he thinks his work will be "pretty true to how it was intended originally."

The statues on top of the monument were originally produced from the metal from 65 civil war cannons.