Popular Lincoln sculpture in Bloomington needs cleaning

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) - The popular Abraham Lincoln statue in Bloomington needs a cleaning after it was doused with an unknown substance.

The sculpture of Lincoln sitting on a park bench is outside the Lincoln on 66 Visitor's Center at the McLean County Museum of History. The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reports it was slightly damaged over the weekend. Museum executive director Beth Whisman sent a picture to sculptor Rick Harney before maintenance workers cleaned most of the damage Monday.

Harney says he'll do a more thorough cleaning Thursday. It took him about four months to build the 900-pounds bronze piece at a cost of $30,000. It's been on the museum lawn since June 2000.

Whisman says the bench is popular year-round. She says recently there were "tracks in the snow of people sitting on the bench with Abe."

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Information from: The Pantagraph, http://www.pantagraph.com