A statue of President Abraham Lincoln in Louisville, Kentucky, is missing a bronze top hat after it was pried off of a stone base recently.

The hat sat next to a reclining Lincoln and a pair of books, all in bronze, on top of the base at the city’s Waterfront Park.

“They had to be strong and determined to pry bronze from a base, good grief!” wrote Ed Hamilton, the piece’s creator, in a Facebook post on Saturday.

“It was anchored down into that monolith rock. I don’t know what they could have used, maybe some more manpower or some crowbars. I guess they kept (trying) until they got it up,” Mr. Hamilton, who suspects the hat was stolen, told the Louisville Courier Journal.

Local police have been notified about the missing hat. 

“LMPD can confirm that an online [theft] report was filed with LMPD. The report will be reviewed and shared to LMPD’s First Division Detectives for them to begin their investigation. There is no additional information that can be provided at this time,” the Louisville Metro Police Department told the Louisville Eccentric Observer Monday.

While Mr. Hamilton wants the hat returned, he is also hoping to find the mold for the hat.

“Well, I guess whoever ripped off the old Abe hat must be desperate or crazy – certainly can’t wear it. … I guess we were lucky to have it survive over 15 years since it was dedicated. I’m hoping I still have the mold, and we can recast another one,” Mr. Hamilton told WHAS-TV.

The nonprofit Waterfront Development Corp. that oversees the park is also looking into the missing hat.

“We take this event very, very seriously. We intend to put all of our resources of trying to identify the thief and prosecuting to the fullest extent,” WDC President Deborah Bilitski told WHAS-TV.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.