| Illinois (Dewitt County), Clinton — Abraham Lincoln - Eighth Judicial District — Clinton, Illinois — County-Seat Marker |
| | Abraham Lincoln
traveled this way as he rode the Circuit of the Eighth Judicial District ···1847 - 1857 — Map (db m10959) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), Clinton — DeWitt County War Memorial — DeWitt, Illinois |
| | In Memoriam
Dedicated to the men and women of DeWitt County who served in the Cause of Freedom. — Map (db m10961) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), Clinton — Friends To The End — Looking for Lincoln |
| | [ Top Section ]
During the twenty years Abraham Lincoln attended the DeWitt County Court on the Eighth Judicial Circuit, he and Clifton H. Moore, Clinton’s first resident attorney, developed a deep friendship as well as a mutual law practice.
The two men shared many similarities, each achieving his law degree through diligent independent study rather than university education. Both had abilities for surveying land. Lincoln used his skills in New Salem days; Moore used his . . . — Map (db m24298) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), Clinton — Humorous Moments — Looking for Lincoln |
| | Barnett Tavern, owned and operated by Alvin and Rebecca Barnett, stood at 200 South Center Street. The two-story home was a stopping-place for weary travelers, circuit lawyers, and judges journeying across the Illinois prairie. When in Clinton, Lincoln and his associates were often guests. Lincoln once jokingly commented on Mrs. Barnett’s custard. Having overheard, she never served him custard again.
One day, a farm boy sat on the ‘rascal bench’ outside the Barnett Tavern. On . . . — Map (db m24236) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), Clinton — Lincoln and The Law — Looking for Lincoln |
| | During his twenty years on the Eighth Judicial Circuit, Abraham Lincoln tried numerous cases in the DeWitt County courthouses, including a slander case involving William Dungey. Dungey, “a dark skinned man of Portuguese descent,” married Joseph Spencer’s sister. The brothers-in-law had a dispute that became so bitter that by 1855, Spencer was making a serious accusation: “Black Bill" Dungey, as Spencer was calling him, was a “negro.”
In . . . — Map (db m24237) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), Clinton — Lincoln at Work and Play — You Can't Fool the People — Looking for Lincoln |
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[Top Section]
DeWitt County was part of the Eighth Judicial Circuit from its beginning, and so was Abraham Lincoln, who attended the first session of DeWitt Circuit Court in Clinton on October 24, 1839. Court sessions were held each spring and fall. For the locals, court week was like a carnival, and people came from miles around to pack the court and participate in the accompanying social activities. For twenty years, Lincoln was a part of the Clinton community, practicing . . . — Map (db m24321) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), Clinton — Lincoln Speech July 27, 1858 |
| | "You can fool all the people part of the time and part of the people all the time, but you can not fool all the people all the time."
Spoken in an address in Clinton July 27, 1858 by
Abraham Lincoln
"I must stand with anybody that stands right. Stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong."
Abraham Lincoln — Map (db m11030) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), Clinton — Lincoln's Friends and Foes — Looking for Lincoln |
| | [ Top Section ]
This satirical February 1863 editorial illustration, titled “The Copperhead Party, “ depicts three Copperheads advancing on Columbia. Copperheads were Southern sympathizers who saw themselves as “Peace Democrats,” opposed to Lincoln and the forced preservation of the Union. Many Copperheads resided in DeWitt County, which is not surprising, considering so many DeWitt County settlers had deep Southern roots.
[ Middle Section ] . . . — Map (db m24235) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), Clinton — Lincoln's Hat — Looking for Lincoln |
| | A proper Presbyterian Church was under construction in the summer of 1859. A floor was laid, walls, roof, and belfry nearly completed, when “a halt due to lack of funds” occurred. In October 1859, money was urgently needed to complete construction. The view from the building site to the DeWitt County Courthouse on the public square was unobstructed.
Recognizing opportunity, the church ladies held a festival during court week to take maximum advantage of the generosity of . . . — Map (db m24247) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), Clinton — On The Campaign Trail — Looking for Lincoln |
| | [ Top Section ]
Clifton H. Moore, DeWitt County’s first resident attorney, built this stately brick home in 1857-58 on an eighty-acre tract of land purchased from Judge David Davis. The original house suffered damage from a windstorm and now lacks the west wing as pictured. In 1880, Moore purchased and moved into another large Clinton home known as “The Homestead.”
[ Middle Section ]
Lincoln and Douglas had numerous speaking engagements other than their scheduled . . . — Map (db m24301) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), Clinton — War on the Horizon — Looking for Lincoln |
| | [ Left Section ]
When Lincoln called for troops to defend the Union, the men and boys of DeWitt County heeded his urgent request. Some who volunteered were from families who had know and befriended Lincoln during his days as a prairie lawyer and politician, for Lincoln practiced both occupations here.
Others, like German-born twenty-eight-year-old shoemaker Martin Mohrle, were foreign-born DeWitt County residents who answered the call just the same. Some lost their lives on the . . . — Map (db m24253) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), Clinton — Warner's Memories / Lawyers and Book Lovers — Looking for Lincoln |
| | Warner's Memories
[ Top Section ]
Lincoln traveled the Eighth Judicial Circuit six months a year, becoming close friends with his fellow lawyers, with whom he shared, not only courtroom, but also meals, an easy camaraderie, and often a room. “In my opinion, Lincoln was happy - - as happy as he could be, when on this Circuit - - and happy no other place. This was his place of enjoyment, “sad David Davis, the judge who presided over the circuit. Davis; also Lincoln’s . . . — Map (db m24325) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), DeWitt — The Law and Lodging / Whiskey Mayhem — Looking for Lincoln |
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The Law and Lodging
[Top Section]
During his years traveling the Eighth Judicial Circuit, Abraham Lincoln was the overnight guest of many DeWitt County residents. As a frontier lawyer, he spent several months per year away from home while making his legal rounds. For travelers spending the night in various DeWitt County private homes, taverns, and hotels, the accommodations varied considerably. The structures ranged from the palatial Argo House to the rustic log . . . — Map (db m24371) |
| Illinois (Dewitt County), Kenney — Abraham Lincoln - Eighth Judicial District — Logan / DeWitt Counties — County Line Marker |
| | Abraham Lincoln
traveled this way as he rode the Circuit of the Eighth Judicial District
1847 - 1859 — Map (db m12193) |
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