SHELBYVILLE - Shelbyville's connection to Abraham Lincoln has become a sign of the times.

The first of three "Looking for Lincoln" storyboard exhibits arrived Wednesday in Shelbyville, and officials with Shelby County Lincoln Heritage Inc. plan to install the sign commemorating the debate between Lincoln and Anthony Thornton near the Shelby County Courthouse.

Two more wayside exhibits have been approved for Housing and Urban Development grant funding and are being developed, said Freddie Fry, director of the office of tourism and www.lakeshelbyville.com.

The first storyboard is on display at the Shelby County Office of Tourism, next door to the courthouse, which is undergoing repairs.

"I would have been thrilled to be awarded one" wayside exhibit, Fry said, adding that officials launched the application and research process almost five years ago.

The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition in Springfield ultimately approves the exhibits and has them manufactured.

"To be lucky enough to have three stories awarded is more than I ever would have anticipated," Fry said.

The initial exhibit features a narrative about the Aug. 9, 1856, debate between Lincoln and Thornton, as well as a reproduction of the large painting of Lincoln hanging in the Shelby County Courthouse and a timeline showing the debate's place in Lincoln's life. There is also a stamp on the sign with which visitors can make a "rub" using sketch paper and a pencil.

The other two storyboards will address Lincoln's appearances in the Shelby County Courthouse as part of his duties as an attorney with the Eighth Judicial Circuit and the perils of traveling in Lincoln's era.

Each exhibit costs more than $10,000, with Shelby County Lincoln Heritage provided matching funds of about $3,400 per sign.

Fry, who wrote the grant applications for each exhibit, said, "It's a nice addition to the community, both for the community - it's (our) legacy in a visual form for people to enjoy and share - and also to visitors to our community. It gives them another reason to visit, another activity to do when they are in our area."

The first sign is intended to augment a bronze statue of Lincoln and Thornton that is planned for the front steps of the county courthouse, said Whitney D. Hardy, Shelbyville attorney and chairman of Shelby County Lincoln Heritage.

A total of 220 similar storyboards will be installed in almost 50 communities by next summer, according to Hal Smith, coalition director.

Nathaniel West can be reached at nwest@ jg-tc.com or 238-6860.