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Rock Island Civil War monument was ‘on the verge’ of falling

A dilapidated Civil War monument now sits on the ground, propped up by two-by-fours and crime scene tape in front of the Rock Island County Courthouse.

A run-down Civil War monument in front of the Rock Island County courthouse has ties to Abraham Lincoln.

The tribute to those who died in the war was dedicated in Rock Island back in 1869, the names of local soldiers etched on all four sides.

In July, a passerby noticed the Civil War soldier perched on top of the 33 foot tall pedestal, was close to toppling over.

"It was on the verge. The statue weighs 2,000 pounds. How that statue moved and got over to the edge. I don't know," said Rock Island County Sheriff Gerry Bustos.

The soldier was lifted off the pedestal by a crane, and now sits on the ground, propped up by two-by-fours and crime scene tape.

It's all the county can afford, for now.

"I'm reaching out to veteran's groups, to Civil War buffs, to see what we can do to try and come up with some funds to get this rehabbed," said Bustos.

"It means a lot to me that we do what we can to make sure this is here for another 145 years," he said.

The monument was dedicated in the spring of 1869, to much fanfare. According to newspaper accounts, about 30,000 people attended the ceremony. That's six times the population of Rock Island at the time.

The monument was created by Chicago sculptor Leonard Volk, notable for making one of only two life masks of Abraham Lincoln, and a cast of Lincoln's hands. That cast was used to help create the Lincoln Memorial.

He was also hired to sculpt busts of Lincoln, John Deere, and Stephen Douglas.

"He was a well known sculptor, trained in Italy," said Orin Rockhold, with the Rock Island County Historical Society.

Volk also went on to co-found the Chicago Academy of Design, a predecessor of the Art Institute.

The memorial was commissioned three years after the war, and paid for through private donations and fundraisers.

"You stop and realize the citizens of the county memorialized their soldiers, they gave their hard earned cash when cash was scarce in 1868, 1869," said Rockhold. "It's significant."

Today, some of the names of the war dead are faded and unrecognizable. The soldier's face and hat crumbling. A neglected part of local history in need of restoration.

 

 

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