The design for the mural was chosen as a winning entry for an art competition held in December 1959, by the Indiana State Office Building Commission.

[2] Before Peck and his assistant began their work, the marble wall in the Indiana Government Center North was sandblasted to proper depth by using a full-size sketch of the mural as a guide.

[1] Below the title, the following commemoration appear in brass letters that measure 3.1 inches in height: "Abraham Lincoln, our finest contribution to civilization shaped on the soil of Indiana from age 7 to 21".

"[1] The scenes of Lincoln's life in Indiana form a map around the Ohio River:[1] A red and brown compass depicts cardinal directions with four large points and cursive letters: "W", "N", "E", and "S".

Construction of Here I Grew Up and the Rubin sculpture of Lincoln was postponed for at least a year after the art competition by the Indiana State Office Building Commission.

[4] The mosaic alone cost $35,280 in 1962,[3] leading some members of the commission, such as chairman Indiana Lieutenant Governor Crawford F. Parker, to oppose funding the art in order to allocate taxpayer money to social welfare projects.

The mural mosaic and the Lincoln statue which we selected would be a credit to any building and any state, and I feel that cutting cultural corners like this does much to throttle art in Indiana.After the mosaic was completed in the lobby of the State Office building, located west of the Indiana Statehouse, worker offices shared the space and fabric banners were mounted to reduce noise.