Bicentennial Courthouse Addition in Putnam County
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| Image credit: News Tribune |
To celebrate Illinois’ 200th anniversary, the Lincoln portrait was presented by the Illinois State Historical Society, Illinois Judges Association and local contributor Roger Bolin, a Hennepin attorney and president of the Putnam County Bar Association, Friday morning in Putnam County Courthouse courtroom in Hennepin.
The original portrait was made by famed photographer Alexander Hesler in Springfield on June 3, 1860, following Lincoln’s nomination as the Republican candidate for the presidency.
Presentation of the portrait was made by Roger Bolin, retired Circuit Judge Scott Shore and Illinois State Historical Society vice Stuart Fliege.
The Illinois State Historical Society and Illinois Judges Association are working to put a copy of this historic portrait in every Illinois courthouse, Shore said.
Bolin “stepped up to the plate and donated to purchase our copy. He’s a Lincoln enthusiast and scholar of all things history,” Shore said.
Lincoln’s travels included visits to Putnam County. One such visit in September 1845 is well-noted, while campaigning for Congress. Lincoln, born 209 years ago next Monday, served four terms as a state representative, one term as a U.S. congressman and became the country’s 16th president in 1860.
Bolin asked that the plate note he’s donating it in memory of mentor and former senior partner, Walter Durley Boyle, Shore said.
Source: News Tribune