Illinois county moves historic Civil War statue
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - For 145 years a statue of a Civil War soldier has stood in front of the Rock Island County Courthouse in western Illinois.
Rock Island County Sheriff Gerry Bustos tells The (Moline) Dispatch that weather has damaged the soldier statue. He says he moved it Thursday inside a county garage for safe keeping until enough money can be raised for restoration. The statue has been on top of the county's Civil War memorial since 1869.
The move comes after the statue was taken off its base in July when it was found that it could fall.
Sheriff Bustos says years of exposure to the weather have caused the marble statue's face to "melt." Bustos says two local companies helped the county move the statue indoors at no cost.
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