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o 6 30 Statues of Abraham Lincoln Don Sottile Excerpts from newspapers and other sources From the files of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection 7/.200% O'iS.OZteSS L^ tyf" To: Joan From: Gale Svenson-Campbell, Westfield Lincoln-Bedell Committee Inc. formore information - 716-753-2243 or 716-386-6043 fax - 716-753-7020; e-mail - galelynn® netsync.net Concerning: theLincoln-BedellStatue Dedication inWestfield, NewYork The dedication ofthe Lincoln-Bedell statuewill take place onJuly 10th 1999 at 2:00p.m., as apartofadaylongcelebration inWestfield, NewYork. The title ofthe eventis: Lincoln Revisits Westfield An historical eventcommemoratingthe meetingof President Lincoln andWestfield's little Grace Bedell. Thestory: GraceBedellwas the littlegirlfromWestfield, N.Y. who wroteto AbrahamLincolnrecommending thathegrow abeard. Mr. Lincolnwroteback, grewthe beard, was electedPresident, and visitedGraceandWestfield onhis inauguraltraintrip. There is much more to this storyand event. I have enclosed afairlydetailed press releasewith most ofthe pertinentinformation. I hope thiswill peakyour interestto knowmore aboutthis eventinWestfield. There is also abook, "Lincoln's Little Girl", published byBoyd'sMills Press, whichtells the entire story with eyewitness accounts. We canmake thatavailable toyou. The sculptor, Don Sottile, is in Himrod, N.Y., andwouldbe available forinterviews. The dedicationwillbe held outside, with some ofthe daylongactivities inside the local churches and museums. There is no admission fee; there is public parking, and restrooms, and there is handicapped access. We hope thatyouwillhelp spread theword aboutthis historic dayfor Westfield, NewYork. TheWestfield,Lincoln-BedellStatue Committee, Inc. c/o Patricia M. Newell, 6828 Sherman Road, Westfield, NewYork 14787 r^f^Qt ^ ^ PRESS RELEASE Concerning: The dedication ofthe bronze statue ofAbraham Lincoln and Grace Bedell inWestfield, NewYork en July lOt'i 1999. July 10th, 1999willbe an historic dayinWestfield, NewYork. On this day, the communitywill dedicate the statue ofAbraham Lincoln and little Grace Bedell, theWestfield girlwho suggested that Mr. Lincoln growabeard. This eventwill fulfill nearlytenyears ofwork, planning, and fund raisingbythe Westfield Lincoln-Bedell Statue Committee, Inc. This projecthas been funded completely with private contributions. In October of 1860, elevenyear old Grace Bedell ofWestfield, NewYork wrote alettertoAbraham Lincoln suggestingthathe growabeard to make him a more attractive presidential candidate. Mr. Lincoln immediatelyanswered her eager epistle, while neither acceptingnorrejectingherrequest. After his election, as the presidential trainwound it'swayfrom Springfield, Illinois toWashington, D.C., itpassed throughWestfield N.Y. Stopping there, President Lincoln spoke brieflyto the large crowd and then asked for Grace Bedell. When shewas ushered forth, he stepped from the train, shookherhand and kissed her, saying, "You see, I letthesewhiskers growforyou, Grace." In 1990, Mary "Billie" Dibble, Westiield's historian and columnist for the local paper, theWestfield Republican, wrote in her column, Dibble's Dabbles, "Might it notbe agood ideaifWestfield were marked in some way, to show passersbythatthis is the place where the meeting ofAbraham Lincoln and Grace Bedell tookplace." Soon, Kent Brown, M.D., and several otherWestfield residents began meeting and planning for a sculpture and park in the middle of Westfield. Theyreceived the taxexempt status in 1992, and the fund raisingwas begun. In 1993, the village board approved the use ofthe land directly across from the Moore Park. TheWestfield Lincoln-BedellStatue Committee, Inc. c/o Patricia M. Newell, 6828 Sherman Road, Westfield, NewYork 14787 They then set about to choose a sculptor. There was a competition between two sculptors, with the finaljudgingbyfive regional experts, and the Lincoln- Bedell Committee. Don Sottile. ofHimrod NewYork, was chosen as the sculptor and beganwork on the final proposed sculpure in 1995. The sculpture will showMr. Lincolnwalking toward Grace, hatin hand, while she faces him in an awestruckpose. The two figures are about 15 feet away from each other. Her flowers have dropped to the ground, as she realizes she is meeting the newly elected President ofthe United States. This storyis well known throughout theworld and portrays a touching event inAbraham Lincoln's life, which is not connected to the Civil Waryears. It tells the storyofhow one little girl possiblychanged the course ofhistory. Grace thought thatAbe looked too thin, and would notget as manyvotes unless he grew abeard. He grewit, was elected, and we can't even imagine life in the United StateswithoutAbraham Lincoln as our 16th president. Who knows... To commemorate this story and theirmeeting, Westfield will host a day long celebration on Saturday, July 10th, 1999 - LINCOLN REVISITSWESTFIELD. The actual dedication ofthe statue willbe at 2:00 p.m. in the new Lincoln-Bedell Park. Therewill be activities beginning at 10:00 a.m. includingJames Getty, the well known Lincoln impersonator; storytelling; American music bythe Deutchmeisters, and otherlocal groups; a one woman showbyMargaretAnn Mong; CivilWar reenactors; plus selfguided tours ofthe McClurgMansion, Chautauqua and ErieTelephone Museum, and the Patterson LibraryArt Gallery and new Children's Room. Formore information about this event or about the story, please contact: Gale Svenson-Campbell, P.O.Box609, Bemus Point, NY, 14712; phone- 716-753-2243 or 716-386-6043 - both are work numbers; fax- 716-753-7020; e-mail - [email protected]