The Abraham Lincoln commemorative plaque is a work of public art designed by Marie Stewart in 1906, created by Rudolph Schwarz, and dedicated on 12 February 1907.

[1] The log cabin represents Lincoln's boyhood home in southern Indiana; the Capitol building relates to his future as president of the United States.

The lower two-thirds of the plaque bears an inscription in raised, capital letters:[1] Here Feb 11 1861 Abraham Lincoln on his way to Washington to assume the Presidency in an address said: "I appeal to you to constantly bear in mind that not with politicians not with presidents not with office seekers but with you is the question: Shall the Union and shall the liberties of this country be preserved to the latest generations?

[1] Lincoln traveled by train from his home in Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C. for his inauguration and first term as president of the United States and stayed overnight in Indianapolis.

[1][5] The plaque was originally installed at the Claypool Hotel, which stood on the site of the Bates House, at the corner of Illinois and Washington Streets in Indianapolis.

[1][4] After the Claypool Hotel was demolished in 1969, the plaque was installed on a new base designed by Benno Schum and relocated to the west, near the intersection of Washington and Missouri Streets.

[1][4] The monument was removed when construction began on a new state office building in 1988; it was reinstalled in 1991 at nearly the same site after the Indiana Government Center South was completed.

[1] Marie Stewart, a student at Indianapolis's Shortridge High School, submitted the winning entry in a citywide contest to design the commemorative plaque.