Back in 2011, a couple of Mr. Social Security Eric C. Conn’s statues were profiled on this site. Turns out, Conn was a con. As a result, the statues are being sold.
The most notable is the statue of the 16th President: it’s the world’s second largest seated Lincoln statue. In 2011, I wrote
Installed on November 4, 2010 (the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s election), the 19 foot tall statue weighs over a ton. It was constructed in Thailand after being commissioned by Conn in October 2009. This “Lincoln Memorial” was paid for entirely by Mr. Conn through what must be an enormous marketing budget.
Well, according to the Herald-Leader, it turns out that the feds have sold Mr. Conn’s assets, including the Lincoln statue. As a result, the statue of Lincoln will be leaving its perch in the Stanville parking lot on U.S. 23.
And the good news is that President Lincoln’s likeness won’t be going far. It’s being donated to the Middle Creek National Battlefield just a little ways down the highway.
Middle Creek was the site of a Civil War battle in January 1862. During the conflict, Union troops were led by Col. James A. Garfield. Garfield, who later became our twentieth President, was promoted to brigadier general as a result of the victory at Middle Fork.
(I won’t be able to make it down that way to watch, but I hope someone records them moving and relocating the statue.)