Galesburg removing fountain to make room for Sandburg statue

GALESBURG, Ill. (AP) — A fountain in Galesburg is being removed to make room for a statue of poet Carl Sandburg in his hometown.

The (Galesburg) Register-Mail reports (http://bit.ly/1Jhp1Ko ) crews were in the city's Public Square on Tuesday to start removing the fountain. City Engineer Wayne Carl says he expects work to be done Wednesday. The fountain is from the 1970s.

Once the fountain is removed crews will start pouring concrete for the base of the statue. The statue will be 15-feet tall when it sits on the base. It should be installed before the end of September.

Donors funded the $250,000 project.

Sandburg was born in Galesburg in 1878. He is known not only for his poem, "Chicago," but as a three-time Pulitzer-Prize winner for poems and his biography of Abraham Lincoln.

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Information from: The Register-Mail, http://www.register-mail.com