| Illinois (Champaign County), Homer — On The Bloomington Road / The Clark Neighborhood — Looking for Lincoln |
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On the Bloomington Road
The Fort Clark Road, later known as the Bloomington or State Road, was an important artery for commerce between Danville and Urbana. The road was first approved in 1826 by the Illinois Assembly. It was the first state road into western Vermilion County, which in 1833 became Champaign County. The map at left is the original 1820's survey map from the state line (right) to Big Grove (Urbana). The road was resurveyed by Moses Thomas in 1835, and Prather’s Ford . . . — Map (db m23850) |
| Illinois (Champaign County), Mahomet — Champaign County's Lincoln — Looking for Lincoln |
| | (Top Section)
Champaign County was always on Lincoln’s circuit. Abraham Lincoln spent nearly 20 years of his life practicing law on the 8th Judicial Circuit, traveling from one county seat to another. Even as the circuit shrank while population grew (from 8 counties in 1841 to 15 counties in 1845 to 8 in 1853 to 5 in 1857) the county seat of Urbana in Champaign County was always on Lincoln’s circuit. Each fall and spring, Lincoln traveled the dusty roads, on horseback or by carriage from . . . — Map (db m24340) |
| Illinois (Champaign County), Mahomet — Lincoln's Mahomet / Mahomet's Lincoln — Looking for Lincoln |
| | Lincoln’s Mahomet
[ Upper Section ]
The village of Middletown-Mahomet was platted by Daniel Porter in 1832 on the west bank of the Sangamon River near its headwaters. The main street of the village was actually a new road, made necessary by the location of the county seat at Urbana. The state road was moved to the south of the old Fort Clark Road. This change made Newcom’s Ford (on the northeast) obsolete and, thus, created a new ford near where the old railroad bridge stands . . . — Map (db m24374) |
| Illinois (Champaign County), St. Joseph — Lincoln at Kelley's Tavern — Looking for Lincoln |
| | Kelley’s Tavern was originally called Strong’s Inn after Cyrus Strong, who built a mud-mortar log cabin here in the 1830's. The inn at Strong’s Ford was a stop on the Bloomington or State Road from Danville west to Urbana. Kelley’s Inn was a stop for travelers on the westward migration - - and for local business. Joseph Kelley purchased the cabin from Strong in 1849, expanded it, and also provided a ferry across the Salt Fork. The four-room tavern standing at the spot was demolished in 1914. . . . — Map (db m23803) |
| Illinois (Champaign County), Tolono — Lincoln in Tolono — Looking for Lincoln |
| | Abraham Lincoln traveled through Tolono by locomotive at least eighteen times. He whiled the time away for his train connections by playing horseshoes and visiting with the Tolono residents. While campaigning in Illinois, Lincoln would frequently play a game of chess with a telegrapher at the Marion house Hotel-Depot.
Tolono lies at the junction of the Great Western and Illinois Central Railroads. Tolono is privileged to have at this site an historical stone marker to honor Abraham . . . — Map (db m23816) |
| Illinois (Christian County), Taylorville — The Last Stop — "Looking for Lincoln" |
| | “I had pleasant accommodations at Taylorville in company with Mr. Lincoln & Mr. Thorton,” Circuit Judge David Davis once wrote from here.
He found this town–the last county seat on his circuit route–to be “prettily laid out, & tastefully arranged with trees & shrubs.” But pigs rummaging underneath the floor boards of the courthouse sometimes disrupted the Judge’s courtroom. Once, it was so noisy that attorney Lincoln reportedly rose to his feet to . . . — Map (db m12208) |
| 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'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 (Logan County), Lincoln — Lincoln's Lincoln — Town Christening Site — "Looking for Lincoln" |
| | Town Christening Site
On August 27, 1853 the first sale of lots in the new town of Lincoln took place near this spot. In attendance was Abraham Lincoln, in whose honor the town had been named. “Nothing with the name of Lincoln has ever amounted to much,” he had reportedly quipped in response.
Lincoln was nevertheless obliging when a promoter asked him on the day of the land sale to officially “christen the town.” Lincoln picked an appropriate . . . — Map (db m12305) |
| Illinois (McClean County), Bloomington — My Good Friend — Judge David Davis - Mansion — Looking for Lincoln |
| | The frame house (left) that once stood on the site of this Victorian mansion was the home of Abraham Lincoln’s trusted friend, legal associate, and political manager, David Davis (1815-1886). The two-story structure closely resembled Lincoln’s Springfield home. But the setting was very different. Built on the outskirts of Bloomington, Davis’s home was the center of a large farm. There were pastures, orchards, and flower gardens planted by David’s wife, Sarah. Rows of trees lined the drive that . . . — Map (db m12263) |
| Illinois (McLean County), Bloomington — Lincoln The Lawyer — " A Rustic on his First Visit " — Looking for Lincoln |
| | “A rustic on his first visit to the circus” is how John W. Baddeley, an English immigrant farmer described Abraham Lincoln on his first visit to the McLean County Courthouse as a young attorney in the summer of 1837. Lincoln was wearing “ill-fitting homespun clothes, the trousers a little too short, and the coat a trifle too large.” Baddeley summarily dismissed the “country bumpkin” lawyer who had been sent by his senior partner, John Todd . . . — Map (db m12362) |
| Illinois (Piatt County), Bement — Bement Goes to War — Looking for Lincoln |
| | Edgar Camp came to Bement in 1855 along with two brothers. As one of the early settlers, he assisted in building the first houses. The Camp boys were joined by another brother in 1858.
When Civil War broke out, Edgar, James and William volunteered. Edgar enlisted in August 1862 as a member of Company H, 107th regiment Illinois Volunteers Infantry which was mustered into the United States service at Camp Butler, Illinois.
Edgar was promoted to First lieutenant, then Captain (in . . . — Map (db m23897) |
| Illinois (Piatt County), Bement — Douglas - Lincoln Debates — Looking for Lincoln |
| | Lincoln wrote Douglas on July 24, 1858, challenging him “to divide time and address the same audiences” during the campaign. The Senator suggested seven locations, adding, “I will confer with you at the earliest convenient opportunity in regard to the mode of conducting the debate, the times of meeting at the several places….”
When it was learned that Douglas would speak in Monticello, July 29, 1858, Bryant invited Senator and Mrs. Douglas to an . . . — Map (db m23858) |
| Illinois (Piatt County), Bement — The Bement Connection — Looking for Lincoln |
| | A pocket watch is meant to be used with a chain. Three styles were popular: T-bar, which slips through a vest buttonhole; spring ring, which attaches to a belt loop; and fob. Lincoln’s pocket watch shown here has a shorter style chain, featuring a decorative fob on the end, allowing it to simply hang from the pocket freely, while the other end of the chain attaches to a small ring at the top of the watch for easy retrieval. Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch, with chain and fob, was inherited by . . . — Map (db m23889) |
| Illinois (Piatt County), Monticello — Lincoln in Monticello — Looking for Lincoln |
| | The Tenbrook Hotel, the building shown on the right-hand side of the photo (which was taken at the end of the Civil War), was the site where Lincoln and other members of the bar lodged when traversing the Eighth Judicial Circuit. Lincoln traveled this circuit to Monticello from 1845 to 1858.
Lincoln and Judge David Davis were the only lawyers who traveled all the way around the complete circuit, which was estimated to amount to a journey of two hundred miles, all of it over muddy roads . . . — Map (db m23855) |
| Illinois (Piatt County), Monticello — Monticello Journeys — Looking for Lincoln |
| | Lincoln’s journeys to Monticello were sometimes difficult because of the weather and his lack of popularity on some issues.
Lincoln, Judge David Davis, and other members of the Bar were trying to reach Monticello in the spring of 1852, having ridden from Clinton in the rain. When they arrived at the ferry across the Sangamon River, about one mile west of town, there was no ferryman. After waiting for two hours, they swam their horses and straddled the buggy on a canoe to float across. . . . — Map (db m23813) |
| Illinois (Piatt County), Monticello — Railroads Bring Change — Looking for Lincoln |
| | The I.C.R.R. Co. Steam locomotive was popular in the mid 1850's, when Lincoln worked for the Illinois Central. It was named “American Standard,” and latter ran from Decatur to Champaign. Locomotives were originally wood burning, and the railroad often purchased wood from local landowners. The crew frequently asked passengers to assist loading wood at fuel stops. Fuel stops were simply a platform located adjacent to a land-owner’s timber. Water was stored in a tank by the Sangamon . . . — Map (db m23808) |
| Illinois (Vermilion County), Danville — A Friend Forever — " Looking For Lincoln " |
| | [Left Panel]:
A FRIEND FOREVER
“I appeal to you because I can to no other with so much confidence,” Lincoln said to Doctor William H. Fithian, August 15, 1860. He was asking for Fithian’s assistance in a political matter.
After both were elected to the Illinois Legislature in 1834, a friendship developed between the two Whigs, who shared political views and goals. In 1841 Fithian hired Lincoln to represent him in a court case in Vermilion County. In the . . . — Map (db m27136) |
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