Abraham Lincoln - Claremore, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 36° 19.085 W 095° 38.167
15S E 263345 N 4022455
This sculpture shows Lincoln during the Civil War.
Waymark Code: WMNPWC
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 04/15/2015
Views: 6
This large KellStone sculpture, standing 19.5 ft. high is mounted on a 2 ft. high stone base, 33 ft. in diameter. The sculpture stands in a grass field on the campus of Rogers State University. To the viewer, there is a solemn tone to this sculpture, as it depicts a grave, sad Lincoln in the Civil War days. The Smithsonian description of the sculpture is very complete and reads:
Full-length statue of Abraham Lincoln stands on what appears to be a landscape littered with battle debris. Lincoln wears a Civil War-era suit and a cloak. His proper right hand is extended, palm down and he holds a Bible to his chest in his proper left hand. An open broken shackle hangs over his proper left hand. Four cherubs fly behind him, unfurling a drape which they hold horizontally. One cherub holds a torch, another an olive branch and another blows a trumpet. An eagle in flight holds up the middle of the cloak in its beak. Battlefield debris includes human skulls and bones, broken wheels, cannon balls, shackles, sabres, a crushed bugle with the word "Confederate" written on its bell and a Confederate flag shot full of holes. A cross bearing the inscription "Unknown Soldier" is planted by Lincoln's proper right foot.
On the base is engraved: "Dedicated in the Spirit of Equality and Democracy / June 21, 1992". The sculptor, Yon Sim Park's name is engraved at the back of the sculpture (It is incorrectly shown as "Pak".)
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865):
Born in Kentucky, our 16th President grew up in Kentucky and Illinois, and began working at manual labor, and as a shopkeeper, postmaster and store owner. He entered the Illinois State Legislature in 1834 as part of the Whig Party. He was a self-taught lawyer and served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He married Mary Todd in 1842 and although they had four children, only one survived to adulthood. Switching to the Republican Party in 1856, he served as a Senator, and was inaugurated as President in March 1861. His presidency was totally absorbed in the Civil War conflict, and he was assassinated April 14, 1865 by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer.
For a complete and very interesting synopsis of Lincoln's life, visit this website: http://www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540#elected-president