Gettysburg Daily

Gettysburg: Land of Lincoln Likenesses



This statue of Abraham Lincoln will be unveiled at the Gettysburg National Park Service Visitor Center on November 19, 2009, the 146th anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg’s Address.

Because Gettysburg can’t have enough statues or busts of Abraham Lincoln, another one will be unveiled in front of the National Park Service Visitor Center on November 19, 2009, the 146th anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. We will show some other Gettysburg likenesses of Lincoln and how this new one of him seated on a bench is not exactly unique.



The new Lincoln statue will be placed in front of the new Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.



This is not a simple process of plopping down the statue in some empty space. A lot of landscaping is occurring in anticipation of its arrival. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.



The sculpture and landscaping are the gifts of developer Robert H. Smith. This view was taken facing west at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.



The sculptor is Ivan Schwartz. He is the founder and director of Studeio EIS in Brooklyn, New York. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.



The landscape architect is Andrew Balderson of Donovan, Feola, Balderson & Associates from Montgomery County, Maryland. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.



We’re now in the Visitor Center looking at the area where the sculpture will be placed. This view was taken facing south at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.



This is pretty much all the information at this location that visitors receive of the project. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.



Robert H. Smith is best known for spearheading the development of the Crystal City complex in northern Virginia. This view was taken facing south at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.



Another Lincoln statue is supposed to grace Gettysburg with its presence on November 19, 2009, the same day as the Lincoln statue at the National Park Service Visitor Center. It will be located in Alumni Park on Baltimore Street. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 8, 2009.



The statue might be as tall as nine feet. It will be placed in the area behind the Gettysburg Area School District sign in the right background. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 8, 2009.



Let’s look at the other statues/busts of Lincoln in Gettysburg’s free public places. We’ll go from what we consider the best quality to uh, the others. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.



At the Pennsylvania Monument is J. Otto Schweizer’s 1913 statue. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.



In the Soldiers’ National Cemetery (Gettysburg National Cemetery) is the Lincoln Speech Memorial ... This view was taken facing east at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 8, 2009.



…with Henry K. Bush-Brown’s 1912 bust of the 16th President. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 9:45 AM on Sunday, May 17, 2009.



The Hall of Presidents on Baltimore Street also has a bust of Lincoln displayed for free public viewing. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 8, 2009.



The Hall of Presidents, like the Civil War Wax Museum (American History Museum) also have Lincoln images inside which may be viewed after paying a fee. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 8, 2009.



The Lincoln Train Station on Carlisle Street also has a bust of Lincoln on display. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 8, 2009.



It is free and open to the public except when the gate is locked. This view was taken facing west at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 8, 2009.





Ten years later the Lincoln Fellowship presented this image of Lincoln to the borough. It is locally known as Lincoln with Perry Como. This view was taken facing west at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 8, 2009.



It is formally known as “Return Visit” and was created by J. Seward Johnson. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.



But the worst depiction of Lincoln is on the Arkansas Monument erected in 1966 on West Confederate Avenue. This view was taken facing west at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.



It’s over here on the left hand (southern side) of the monument. This view was taken facing west at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 8, 2009.



The figure being trampled by Confederate soldiers… This view was taken facing west at approximately 9:45 AM on Sunday, May 17, 2009.



…sure looks like Abraham Lincoln. This view was taken facing west at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 8, 2009.



The most famous statue of a seated Lincoln, is of course, Daniel Chester French’s depiction in the Lincoln Memorial. But if you think Lincoln seated on a bench is unique, not so fast. The new Gettysburg statue has Lincoln with his hat on the left side of the bench.



Here is Guzon Borglum’s “Seated Lincoln” from 1911 with Lincoln and his hat on the right side of the bench. Thanks to Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Bellamy for alerting us to this statue.



The Gutzon Borglum Museum in South Dakota also has a depiction of the seated Lincoln on the right side of the bench.



Cerritos, Carlifornia also has a statue of Lincoln and his hat seated on the right side of the bench. It was sculpted by Mark Lundeen in 2005.



Lincoln was finally joined on the bench by his son Tad at Tredegar Ironworks in Richmond, Virginia in 2003. The sculptor was Daniel Frech.