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Illinois Statues (page 3)

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The Big John statues shown below are about 30 feet tall. They originally wore checkered shirts, blue jeans, and an apron, and carried giant bags of groceries. They were built for the Big John grocery store chain which was based in Carmi, IL and was established in 1960. These statues were designed by Jimmy Boyd and produced around 1967 by the General Sign Co. in Cape Girardeau, MO. The stores and statues were named after the 1961 hit song about a coal miner, "Big Bad John." There were about 30 Big John stores in Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Tennessee. It is believed about 25 of these statues were produced. Some of the statues were sold and moved. However, most of the statues were moved back to the company's headquarters in Carmi as stores closed. When the company moved its headquarters to a new location around 2000, the remaining statues were destroyed. Only nine of these statues are known to have survived: the three shown here in Illinois and six others (see blue box below). There was another statue in Olney, IL which is gone now. In 2019, the original molds for these statues were found in Tennessee. Mark Cline has produced a couple of statues with them. For more, see this website.

Big John
Eldorado, IL

2010:
2024:
This Big John statue stands in front of a still-operating Big John grocery store. It was repainted in 2023. [map]

Big John
Metropolis, IL

2010:
2024:
This Big John store opened in 1986 and this statue has been there since then. It came from the Big John headquarters in Carmi, IL. The Metropolis store is still operating. In 2014, the right arm of the Metropolis statue fell off and shattered. The arm was repaired and the statue restored in 2015. He now holds just the one grocery bag and waves with the right arm. For more, see this website. [map]

Big John
Carmi, IL

2006:
2024:

This Big John statue stands in front of the Little Giant Grocery Outlet. By 2013, the statue had been repainted with a white shirt and red apron. [map]

More Big Johns:
Cape Coral, FL
Hutchinson, KS
St. Louis, MO (as two pieces)
Walls, MS
Gainesville, TX (two statues removed: now in Ohio and Texas)
Unger, WV

For more about Big John statues, see this website.

Railsplitter Covered Wagon
Divernon, IL in 2005:
Lincoln, IL in 2009:
This Railsplitter Covered Wagon features a fiberglass statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting and reading a law book. The statue was made by a "Wisconsin man" for Dave Bentley who built the World's Largest Covered Wagon in 2001. The Covered Wagon is 24 feet tall and 40 feet long. The Railsplitter Covered Wagon was originally installed on Bentley's property in Divernon. The photos in the top row above are from 2005. In 2004, the statue and wagon were displayed at the state fair in Springfield. In 2007, Bentley sold the statue to the City of Lincoln, IL. It was restored at that point. The bottom photos above are from 2009. In 2014, strong winds nearly knocked the Covered Wagon over and damaged it. It has been repaired. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. [map]

Abraham Lincoln
Springfield, IL		 Abraham Lincoln
Ashmore, IL
This Abraham Lincoln statue in Springfield is 30 feet tall and stands at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The rarely depicted clean-shaven Abe was constructed here in 1968. His nicknames include the "Rail Splitter" and the "Axe Murderer". [map]

The Abraham Lincoln statue in Ashmore is 72 feet tall. The fiberglass and steel statue was built in 1969 by Bob Edzett. It was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, one of which took place in town. The statue was produced in St. Paul, MN and trucked here. The statue's body was made extremely slender to meet the oversized load restrictions. It was originally located southeast of town at Lincoln Memorial Park which is now gone. It was moved here to the Springhaven Campgrounds in 1979. After falling into disrepair, the statue was restored around 2005. These photos are from 2006. At that time, there were plans to incorporate the statue into a complex called "Abe's Garden" with educational and recreational activities. However, by 2009, the statue was put up for sale. In 2013, the statue was purchased and the property is being cleaned up. It is expected that the park will reopen at some point. For more, see this website. [map]

Abraham Lincoln
Kankakee, IL		 Abraham Lincoln
Mount Vernon, IL
The Abraham Lincoln statue in Kankakee is 28 feet tall and stands on a 10-foot-tall base. The message on the sign he holds is changed from time to time. The statue is installed at Alexander Construction, facing I-57. It was built by FAST Fiberglass and has been here since at least 2004. [map]

This nine-foot-tall bronze Abraham Lincoln statue in Mount Vernon is installed in front of the Appellate Courthouse. It was created by Alan Cottrill and installed in 2008. The depiction of him represents what he would have looked like in 1859 when he presented a case in this courthouse. [map]

Abraham Lincoln
Hillsboro, IL
This bronze Abraham Lincoln sculpture was created by John McClarey and installed in the Courthouse Square in 2009. Entitled "Among Friends," it depicts Lincoln stretching his back after traveling here from Mattoon in 1858. [map]

Abraham Lincoln and Lady Liberty
Bunker Hill, IL
This Abraham Lincoln and Lady Liberty sculpture was created by William Grandville Hastings and installed in 1904. Lady Liberty inscribes on the granite base "with malice toward none," a quote from Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. [map]

Abraham Lincoln
and Pig
Taylorville, IL		 Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas
Freeport, IL		 Abraham Lincoln
and Stephen Douglas
Ottawa, IL
This bronze Abraham Lincoln statue in Taylorville shows him with a pig. The statue was installed in 2005 next to the courthouse where Lincoln practiced as a lawyer. Pigs used to root around and squeal under the courthouse. [map]

These bronze life-sized statues of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in Freeport commemorate the second debate between which took place in 1858. The statues were installed in 1992 close to the actual site where the debate took place. [map]

The first of the seven Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debates were held in Ottawa. These larger-than-life, bronze statues are located in a fountain in Washington Square, near the site of this debate. The statues were dedicated in 2002. There are also many painted murals in town commemorating the event. Douglas was five feet four inches tall while Lincoln was six foot three. [map]

Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas
Alton, IL
These bronze Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debate sculptures were created by Jerry McKenna. They were installed in 1995 at the site of the seventh and final debate in 1858. [map]

More Illinois Lincolns:
Bloomington
Niles [map]
Springfield
Springfield
Springfield [gone]
various cities

Illinois
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