FEBRUARY MEETING AGENDA
February 12, 2006: Today's meeting of SRFHS was chaired by President John Dillon. After a reading of the minutes and the treasurer's report, he mentioned that the bid by the society on the Manaham home was rejected. The board will meet later in the week to consider a second offer. The Manahan home, located at 603 E. Third Street in Sterling, is of historical significance in that Lincoln slept there in 1856 when it was a residence of Sheriff William Manahan. Lincoln had given a speech in Sterling on July 18, 1856 in support of the Republican Party's first presidential candidate.
Don Morris, a noted Rock Falls wood carver and artist, was the featured speaker for today's meeting of the historical society. Don presented two variations (bronze and pewter) of the proposed Lincoln statue scheduled to be completed by July of this year. The 18 inch high resin figures are one-quarter size of the original 6 ft. 4 inch bronze statue.
Shown below right is a clay model of the one-quarter size statue with the full-size clay being worked on in the background. When finished, the clay will be taken to an Oregon, Illinois bronze foundry for completion, then installed on an appropriate base in Propheter Park in Sterling, the site of the Lincoln speech.
While the life size bronze is paid for, the society is considering the sale of a limited edition of the one-quarter size statue to the general public to raise proceeds to cover the cost of constructing the base and landscaping near the sculpture.
The unveiling of the Lincoln bronze at Propheter Park in Sterling is planned to take place on July 18, 2006, exactly 150 years to the day when Abraham Lincoln visited Sterling in support of the Republican candidate for President.