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When Rob (rvdb) posted this photo of Abraham Lincoln, I told him I would post a photo of a statue I took this summer. It was taken in Hillsboro, Illinois. Below is the inscription on the plaque.

Among Friends

Ahh it is good to be here with my friends. That was a long trip, do I hear music?

Abraham Lincoln had just arrived on Courthouse Square and is stretching to get the kinks out of his back after traveling by train from Matoon and by buggy from the Hillsboro Station. He smiles, glad to be greeted by longtime friends, Joe and Jane Eccles. Abe always enjoys these visits, catching up on local news and swapping tales.

His satchel and umbrella recall that day in September 1858 when Lincoln appeared in Hillsboro as a candidate for the U.S. Senate. His opponent, Judge Stephen A Douglas, had appeared at a rally in Hillsboro just a month earlier. The rain came in torrents, and Lincoln addressed an enthusiastic crowd of his supporters inside a circus tent at the Hillsboro fairgrounds.

Throughout his public life and even in troubled times, Lincoln sought out music, theater and other entertainment to lift his spirits. In Hillsboro, Lincoln faces the plaza stage, the site for concerts, coronations, plays, pep rallies and many community events. Abe smiles, knowing he is forever one with the audience, and among friends.

Among Friends, Lincoln sculpture by John McClarey