By Katie Derr
Preparations for the installation of the bronze Abraham Lincoln statue at President Lincoln’s Cottage are well underway. The hole for the statue’s base was hand-excavated on Thursday, October 30, 2008. On-site during the excavations was Lynne Lewis, Senior Archaeologist for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Lynne kept a watchful eye on the excavation work, monitoring the digging progress in case any archaeological artifacts or finds should surface.
Excavating the hole for the new statue’s base in front of President Lincoln’s Cottage.
The finished hole for the statue base was 32″ deep and approximately 5′ x 6′ wide. During the digging, Lynne and the workers collected several artifacts of interest from the hole, including a white clay pipe bowl and fragments of a Yellowware bowl. While none of the artifacts recovered are indisputably “Lincoln” in nature, they’re a gentle reminder of the past and the continual reuse of the property for over 150 years. The artifacts will be thoroughly cataloged and stored along with the rest of the archaeological collection. Soon, the new Lincoln statue at President Lincoln’s Cottage will become a part of this dynamic landscape.
Lynne Lewis, Senior Archaeologist with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, monitoring the excavation activity.
Ms. Derr is the Administrative Assistant at President Lincoln’s Cottage.
Categories:Archive, Collections, Exhibits, Preservation
Tags:Lincoln Sculpture, President Lincoln's Cottage, StudioEIS
