TAYLORVILLE - Residents of Taylorville had been dreaming for a while about
placing a statue of Abraham Lincoln somewhere in town.
Carol Alexander, head of local tourism efforts, said one idea was to
show Lincoln with a horse, but that was too costly. Officials also considered
Abe with a hitching post or Lincoln with a saddle at his feet. But organizers
said that still wasn't what they were looking for.
Then a long-told Taylorville story came up. And they knew they
had it: Abe Lincoln with a pig.
A statue of the future 16th president
accompanied by a swine friend will become a reality May 28, when Decatur artist
John McLarey's life-size statue of Lincoln and a small pig will be dedicated.
"We were looking for a hook for our Lincoln," said Alexander. "And the
story of the pig came up. It's our story, we own it.
"It's the stuff of legend," she said.
As the legend goes, Lincoln, when still a young attorney riding the
Eighth Judicial Circuit, was trying to speak in the courthouse at Taylorville.
But while he was trying to make his case, pigs could be heard squealing under
the floorboards of the building, which was built about 18 inches above the
ground.
Lincoln is said to have jocularly asked the judge for a "writ of
quietus" to stop the noise.
Researchers haven't been able to determine a
date or a trial when Lincoln would have made such a statement, but they did
uncover a record indicating the sheriff was ordered to put up a fence on the
courthouse grounds so animals couldn't get under the building. The date was
March 1850.
[snip]
The Taylorville statue will weigh 700-800 pounds when placed and will be on
a pedestal facing Springfield. A storyboard will tell the story of the "writ of
quietus."
"Lincoln could mix humor and wit with business and politics. He became
known for that," McLarey said.
And Taylorville is hoping to be known for its pig.
"We are going to market ourselves as a children's tourism destination.
We want to market Lincoln's sense of humor. This little pig at Lincoln's feet
will do that," Alexander said.
[snip]
And the old courthouse, where Lincoln allegedly made his pig annoyance
statement, has been restored and is on property outside town owned by the local
historical society.
The May 28 dedication, dubbed the "What's the Pig Deal? Festival" will
feature people in period costume, a prettiest pig contest, a pigtail contest for
men and women and the selling of pig trinkets. There is also talk of making the
pig festival an annual event.
Alexander and other organizers hope the statue will be a new
reason for tourists to travel to Taylorville.
Never let it be said that Central Illinois doesn't get every last drop out of Lincoln's legacy.
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