Illinois Professional Land Surveyors Association
Invites Your Participation
With all the books, movies and documentaries produced on Abraham Lincoln, his work as a surveyor has been virtually ignored. Few people realize that before his survey work, Lincoln was defeated in his bid for elected office. Within two years after he began surveying, Abraham Lincoln was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. This was his first step on the road to the White House.
The Illinois Professional Land Surveyors Association (IPLSA) is spearheading an effort to commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s surveying career with a life-size statue that will be unveiled in the fall of 2003 at Lincoln’s New Salem Historic Site near Petersburg, Illinois. New Salem is where Lincoln lived when he was teaching himself the art and science of surveying and from where he traveled in his role as a Deputy Surveyor of Sangamon County.
IPLSA Executive Director Robert Church with sculptor John McClarey, shown with 12-inch bronze maquette of the Lincoln Survey Statue. Similar statues are being made available to Gold Compass Donors or available for purchase separately.
The Statue
The Illinois Professional Land Surveyors Association (IPLSA) has commissioned sculptor John McClarey to complete this significant work based on the original pen-and-ink artistry of noted Lincoln artist Lloyd Ostendorf. Following the death of Lloyd Ostendorf, his brother Ned modified the print for greater professional accuracy.
The Surveyor Statue depicts 25-year-old Abraham Lincoln standing 6 feet,
4 inches tall, wearing a loose cotton shirt and jacket
with knee breeches and boots.
A smaller Lincoln Surveyor Statue will be donated to the Michigan Museum of
Surveying.
Your Opportunity
Surveyors, historians, Lincoln enthusiasts, small firms and large corporations are invited to contribute now toward the $180,000 that will be necessary to make the Lincoln Surveyor Statue Project a reality.
Every donation is being received gratefully, regardless
of size. Gold Compass Donors will be recognized on the statue base and will
receive Lincoln surveying mementos. These items are also available for
purchase as outlined below:
Gold Compass Donor
Recognizing Donations of $3,000 or More
• Name inscribed on the base of the Lincoln Surveyor Statue at New Salem
• Revised edition of the book A. Lincoln with Compass and Chain
• Signed and numbered copy of the Ned Ostendorf print on which the statue is
based
• 12-inch bronze maquette of the completed statue
Available for Purchase
• 12-inch Lincoln Surveyor bronze maquette
statue..........$525.00
• Lincoln with Compass and Chain (revised edition)..........$80.00
• Black and white signed and numbered Ostendorf print on which the statue is
based..........$135.00
• Black and white unsigned Ostendorf print on which the statue is
based..........$55.00
Prices include shipping and handling
Adin Baber, author of A. Lincoln with Compass and Chain.
Project History
Lincoln’s work as a surveyor was first documented by Adin Baber, a surveyor from southeastern Illinois. While researching his genealogical connection to the family of Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks, Mr. Baber began to document Abraham Lincoln’s surveying work.
Before his death in the 1970s, Mr. Baber researched early surveying instruments made by the Hanks family, studied the surveying laws under which Abraham Lincoln worked, and resurveyed and redrew plats from many original Lincoln surveys. He visited the towns Lincoln helped lay out and even located some of the bearing trees Lincoln used to establish critical survey points.
Mr. Baber then published a book, A. Lincoln with Compass and Chain, to document his research. This book contains much of the information we know today about how Lincoln practiced surveying, and it became the impetus for the Lincoln Surveyor Statue Project.
Contact Information
If you have questions about the Lincoln
Surveyor Statue Project or want to know
how you, your organization or your firm
can assist with fund-raising, contact:
The Lincoln Surveyor Statue Project
Illinois Professional Land Surveyors Association
521 East Washington Street
P.O. Box 5627
Springfield, Illinois 62705
Phone: (217) 528-3053 | Fax: (217) 528-3279
IPLSA Executive Director
Robert E. Church
(217) 528-3053
mchurch245@aol.com
Abraham Lincoln - Deputy Surveyor Sangamon County, Illinois
Limited edition print by Lloyd and Ned Ostendorf
Available for purchase
Thank you for your donation to The Lincoln Surveyor
Statue Project