County says ‘no thanks’ to U.S. Constitution lithograph
Published 10:23 am Wednesday, October 14, 2015
The Mower County board said “thanks but no thanks” to an Iowa man looking to raise funds to bring a 1934 lithograph of the U.S. Constitution to Austin.
Gary Stephenson talks to the Mower County Board on Sept. 22 in the board room of the Government Center about 1934 U.S. Constitution lithographs. The board declined his request to raise money to bring a lithograph to Mower County. Herald file photo
Last week, the board decided it wasn’t going to pursue Gary Stephenson’s plan to raise money in order to place the framed copy of the Constitution in a county building.
“I don’t see where we have a good spot for it,” Commissioner Tim Gabrielson said last week.
Stephenson of Fort Dodge, Iowa, has been trying to raise funds to place the lithographs of the U.S. Constitution in every county in Iowa, and he’s also been working in Minnesota counties.
County commissioners said they liked the appearance of the U.S. Constitution lithograph; however, they declined and sent Stephenson a letter outlining their decision.
Stephenson and his father, Daniel, acquired several of the U.S. Constitution lithographs and began selling them in 1990. Stephenson said his father, who died in September 2008, sold lithographs to 25 Iowa courthouses prior to his death. Gary took it upon himself to furnish the lithographs for every courthouse in Iowa and has nearly completed his mission, which is why he shifted his focus to Minnesota.
However, there has been some controversy with the lithographs. A blogger from Florida has questioned the validity of the lithographs, but Stephenson claims he’s had them validated by experts.
