Abraham Lincoln wax statue headless after melting in scorching DC

June 27, 2024
A wax sculpture of Abraham Lincoln sitting outside of a Washington D.C. elementary school is headless after it began melting during a punishing heatwave that had temperatures in the 100s.

Artist Sandy Williams IV created the 6-foot tall and 3,000-pound replica of the Lincoln Memorial as part of the “40 Acres: Camp Barker” exhibit at Camp Barker, a contraband camp during the Civil War that is now the site of an elementary school.

“This 3,000-lb wax sculpture is intended to be burnt like a candle and to change over time, but this wild heat has done a number on Lincoln,” Cultural DC, which commissioned the project, wrote in an update on its site.

However, the record-level heat caused Lincoln to slump in his char more than anticipated, Cultural DC noted.