Abe Lincoln is back in Wilkinsburg.

A new 400-pound bronze life-size statue of the 16th president of the United States was unveiled Tuesday morning in the Wilkinsburg Borough Municipal Building.

The approximately 6-foot-4 statue (same height as the man himself) will replace the battered sheet-copper Lincoln statue that was dedicated in 1916 and stood at the intersection of Penn Avenue and Ardmore Boulevard for over a century before being brought inside the Borough Building two years ago.

A new Abe Lincoln statue of the 16th President of the U.S holding the Emancipation Proclamation was unveiled this morning in Wilkinsburg. My story is coming on https://t.co/IYfLtEiX16. pic.twitter.com/9irJ4Qv2Pc

— Paul Guggenheimer (@PGuggenheimer) February 23, 2021

The new statue was designed by world-renowned sculptor Susan Wagner, a Penn Hills native, who was on hand for the unveiling ceremony. She said she was happy to create a statue of somebody as important as Lincoln.

“We need his inspiration right now, more than ever,” Wagner said. “I wanted him to look thoughtful and intelligent and concerned like he’s just about to make his Emancipation Proclamation speech, right at that moment.”

In fact, the Lincoln statue is holding that very 1863 document, declaring slaves to be free, in his left hand. The document is identifiable by the imitation of Lincoln’s handwriting that Wagner engraved on a visible part of the rolled-up sheet.

Wagner said she was very pleased with how the statue turned out and thanked the Studio Foundry in Cleveland, where the statue was cast.

“They did a marvelous job,” she said. “I had a master welder I could call on at any time. He was wonderful to work with.”

Wagner’s other work is well known to Pittsburghers, including the Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Bill Mazeroski statues at PNC Park as well as the statue of Dr. Thomas Starzl, the organ transplant pioneer, at the University of Pittsburgh.

Wagner said her research for this piece involved obtaining numerous photographs of Lincoln from a variety of angles as well as learning about Marfan syndrome, a disease Lincoln was believed to have had and that may account for his tall and lanky appearance.

The statue reveals Lincoln in a pensive state, his head turned slightly to his left and angled downward, his right hand clutching the base of the lapel on his frock coat.

This spring, likely in the next two or three months, the statue will be moved to Lincoln’s familiar perch on the Penn Avenue Lincoln Highway Hill.

Once the money is raised to pay for the specially designed granite base for the statue, Wilkinsburg Historical Society President Anne Elise Morris expects it to remain there for “the next couple of hundred years at least.”

Morris has been the driving force behind building a new Lincoln statue for Wilkinsburg. Two years ago, she announced plans to raise the $70,000 needed to build a bronze, life-size statue of Lincoln, starting a GoFundMe page and putting out the word for donations.

“Two years ago it seemed like a wild dream. It seemed like ‘is it even attainable?’ But the contributions came , a little slow at first but then the pace picked up and then people wanted to contribute,” said Morris. “They wanted to contribute from all over the nation. We had donations from California, the state of Washington, Maine, all over. There were alumni groups and former residents of Wilkinsburg that cared about how we’re doing here.”

Morris said the contributions ranged from a dollar to $5,000 and the money came from individuals, businesses and organizations, including a Girl Scout troop from Plum Borough.

“Money came from the dry cleaner, the floral shop, the pizza shop, the paint shop, the ethnic food restaurant and there were hundreds of anonymous donors,” said Morris. “It was clear that an Abraham Lincoln statue was desired.”

Once she had enough to pay for the 400-pound statue, four times the weight of the old one, Morris personally made the drive to Cleveland to pick it up from the foundry. Her Toyota Highlander was just big enough for Abe to fit in.

On Tuesday she could celebrate the fruits of her efforts as the statue was unveiled before a small gathering of media and Wilkinsburg officials.

“The statue is amazing,” said Wilkinsburg Borough Manager John Antinori. “I think the detail, the emotion, the expressiveness, you really feel like you’re in Lincoln’s presence. We’re going to try and make this available so that people, while it’s here in the Borough Building, can see it up close because it really needs to be seen.”

The statue’s ability to convey Lincoln’s presence is bound to be appreciated in these dark pandemic times, just as Americans were inspired by Lincoln during the dark days of the Civil War.

“I absolutely feel that Lincoln is an inspiring individual,” said Morris. “This statue is a beautiful gift to Wilkinsburg from many people far and wide.”

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