Lincoln and Douglas in Debate 1858

Lincoln and Douglas in Debate 1858. Lincoln-Douglas Debate Square. , The life-size bronze sculptures, "Lincoln and Douglas in Debate 1858," were unveiled on August 27, 1992, the 134th anniversary of the debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. At that time, this statue was the only sculpture depicting the two political giants in one of their famous debates. , Mickey Bauch Martin, coordinator of the sculpture project, was the moderator for the ceremony. The guest speaker at the ceremony was Congressman John Cox (D-IL 16th District). Following the dedication, a political debate was held between Congressman Cox and his Republican challenger, Don Manzullo. Later that evening a dinner was held at the Stephenson Hotel with noted Lincoln scholar, Ralph Neuman, as guest speaker. , The Ferd Bauch Family, descendants of early settlers in Stephenson County, provided seed money for the project. They commissioned artist Lily Tolpo to create a painting of the debate that took place in Freeport. , It was the debators depicted in Lily's painting, "The Freeport Doctrine" that became the inspiration for the sculptures of "Lincoln and Douglas in Debate 1858." The original 4-foot by 6-foot oil-on-canvas now hangs outside the library on the campus of Highland Community College in Freeport. , Signed and numbered prints of the painting were later created and sold by the Lincoln-Douglas Society to raise additional funds for the sculpture project. A grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs led to the statue. , A Chicago native, Lily Tolpo [1917-2016] studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. In addition to her bronze sculptures, her works included bas relief, oil painting, and steel sculpture. , In 2009, Tolpo was awarded the highest honor in Illinois: The Order of Lincoln.