Lincoln's 1st political Speech Site;Vestuto Statue

Overview

On October 12, 1968, a bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln was dedicated on the Northeast corner of Lincoln Square in Decatur, Illinois. The statue titled "Abraham Lincoln's First Political Speech", depicts Lincoln at the age of 21 when he mounted a stump facing the square and defended the Whig Party candidates in the summer of 1830. The statue was created by Anthony Vestuto, an Illinois Wesleyan University professor, and was a project by the Decatur and Macon County Heritage Committee. In 1870, the intersection of Main and Main Streets was named Lincoln Square. On February 12, 1970, a plaque telling the story of 1830 was placed beneath the statue by the Stephen Decatur Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Sustainable Decatur
updated 03/2012 by jstewart1420