Hodgenville Statue Unveiling Set for May 31

Plans are underway for a celebration on Saturday, May 31, in Hodgenville, when the new boy Lincoln statue will be unveiled on the town square.

City officials are planning a day-long celebration, including discussions with the sculptors, performances by Lincoln Chautauqua presenters, and more. The program is tentatively scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on the town square.

The Daub Firmin Hendrickson Sculpture Group of Berkeley, Ca. created the bronze life-size sculpture of the boy Lincoln. The sculpture will be installed in front of the existing bronze seated Lincoln sculpture in a circular park area in the town square.

The in-the-round sculpture will depict Lincoln, at age seven, leaning against an old tree trunk, reading a copy of Webster's Elementary Spelling-book, with a linen satchel filled with ears of corn, a fishing pole and his dog "Honey," sitting attentively close by.

The Daub Firmin Hendrickson Sculpture Group was selected from a field of over 75 proposals by sculptors, nationwide. The Sculpture Group is comprised of three sculptors, Eugene Daub, Rob Firmin and Jonah Hendrickson, who primarily work to commemorate significant contributors to American history. They have produced a large number of public monuments that have required collaboration with community members, architects, and government agencies, in the design and installation of public art projects.

Funding for this project was provided by the Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission through the Kentucky Arts Council, which has worked in an advisory capacity with the city of Hodgenville and the Lincoln Sculpture Committee in developing the guidelines, criteria and request for proposal for the public art commission.