Skip to Main Content

Lincoln and the pig.

Abe Lincoln and Pig Statue Recall Write of Quietus

The town of Taylorville, Illinois, wanted to bring tourists into town and decided to erect a statue of Abraham Lincoln, who had worked as a young attorney in the Christian County Courthouse. The original plan was for a statue of Abe on horseback -- but it would have cost $250,000, and there were already statues of Lincoln on horseback. Taylorville wanted something special, and something cheaper.

Now Taylorville has the only statue of Abraham Lincoln and a pig, unveiled on May 28, 2005. It commemorates the day in the 1850s that Lincoln argued a case in the courthouse, some pigs under the floorboards started squealing, and Lincoln asked the judge for a "writ of quietus" to shut them up.

The life-size Abe holds his coat over one shoulder and looks down at a pig at his feet. It's mounted on a granite base on the courthouse lawn, facing northwest towards Springfield.

At the statue's dedication, Taylorville insurance agent Joe Meeks performed his original song, "The Ballad of Mr. Lincoln's Pig." Students in Ms. Anita Grundy's second grade class at North School submitted the winning entry in the "Name the Pig" contest: Liberty.

[06/02/2005]

Christian County Courthouse

Address:
W. Main Cross St., Taylorville, IL
Directions:
Downtown, on the courthouse lawn, at the corner of W. Main Cross St. and S. Washington St., facing northwest toward Springfield.
Save to My Sights

Latest from Trunkations, the RoadsideAmerica.com Blog

    More Blog

    My Sights

    My Sights on Roadside America

    Map and Plan Your Own Roadside Adventure ...Try My Sights

    Mobile Apps

    Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

    Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. ...More

    Sight of the Week

    Sight of the Week

    Easter Island Moai in America (Mar 25-31, 2024)

    SotW Archive

    USA and Canada Tips and Stories

    More Sightings