A 64-pound silver statue of Abraham Lincoln isn’t what one usually expects to find in a Southern plantation. But at the Houmas House, a 250-year-old Greek revival mansion situated on a former sugarcane plantation in Ascension Parish, it was an unexpected piece of charm visitors had come to love, said Kevin Kelly, a retired businessman who bought the property in 2003.

The 16-inch by 10-inch solid silver statue, depicting Lincoln sitting on a bench in quiet contemplation, was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum, made world famous for carving Mount Rushmore. The story goes that a New Orleans oil magnate had received the statue from the renowned sculptor after donating $160,000 to one of Borglum's fundraisers. To appease his angry wife, the rich oilman told her the statue cost only $1,200. After the m

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