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| Lincoln Memorial – Stanville, Ky. |
The National Park Service has temporarily closed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC following this week’s earthquake. But did you know that there is an exact replica of the seated 16th President in Stanville, Kentucky?
If you’ve driven to Pikeville, you have without a doubt seen billboards for attorney Eric C. Conn (aka “Mr. SSI”). The parking lot of his office, on U.S. 23 in Stanville, is the home of the world’s second largest seated Lincoln statue.
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.
Conn, a U.S. Army veteran who served a one-year tour of duty in Iraq during the Desert War, had some ten years ago commissioned a replica of the Statue of Liberty (pictured, left).
At the unveiling, Conn “welcomed home” Mr. Lincoln, who was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky in 1809. Illinois, however, has stolen claim to Lincoln, but Conn reminded those present in 2010 of Lincoln’s famous quote: “I, too, am a Kentuckian.”
Bibliography: Floyd County Times, Kentucky Law Blog, Wikipedia, WKYT