Welcome to Illinois, Mr. Lincoln

Photo by Irene Jackman 2014

On October 14th, 1936, the Illinois Daughters of the American Revolution held a cornerstone ceremony for the Lincoln Memorial Monument in the thirty-two- and one-half acre tract known as Lincoln Park. The site is across the Wabash River from Vincennes on the Lawrence County side of the Clark Memorial Bridge 9 miles east of Lawrenceville. 

The program started at 3:00 PM with a Call to Assembly by Junior Cooley on trumpet, a member of the Lawrenceville Township High School band. This was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag and the state song, Illinois, lead by the Toussaint Dubois DAR Chapter, Lawrenceville, Illinois who had originally conceived of the idea for the monument to commemorate Lincoln’s arrival into Illinois as a boy.

A time capsule with records was placed in the cornerstone and sealed with a silver trowel. At the unveiling of the finished memorial, the box was to be opened for the deposit of relevant artifacts before the permanent closing.

Miss Nellie V Walker of Chicago, the sculptress, was then introduced by the Illinois DAR Regent. Fully grown at 4-foot-10 and weighing less than 100 pounds, Walker would spent her life on ladders, creating classically beautiful sculptures — some larger than life.  Miss Walker was at that time a student of Loredo Taft of the Art Institute and assistant instructor in modeling under supervision of Mr. Taft.

The ceremony concluded with the National Anthem. About a month later, a block of Indiana limestone arrived for the memorial, which Miss Walker personally created based on her approved model.

If you are interested in learning more about or joining the local Touissaint DuBois DAR Chapter contact lawrencelore@gmail.com