Chester in Randolph County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Thomas Mather
1795-1853
Photographed By Jason Voigt, November 30, 2020
1. Thomas Mather Marker
Inscription.
Thomas Mather was born in Simsbury, Connecticut, in 1795. His father, William Mather, fought in the Revolutionary War and was a direct descendant of Cotton Mather. The New England minister associated with the Salem Witch Trials. Thomas Mather migrated to the village of Kaskaskia in 1818 and quickly became a business and political leader, advocating for the building of a steamboat landing at the confluence of the Kaskaskia and Mississippi Rivers. Smith's Landing, later renamed Chester, grew and thrived. Mather served 4 terms in the Illinois House of Representatives, two terms in the Illinois Senate, and one term as Speaker of the House. A strident abolitionist, Mather participated in public debates over Illinois' "free-state" constitution, and helped keep slavery out of Illinois. , Mather's many commercial ventures included building a warehouse on this site in 1830, the first-floor walls of which are still intact. Mather moved to Springfield in 1835 and built a home on what became known as "Mather Hill." Here he entertained dignitaries such as Dorothea Dix, the mental health reformer who lobbied for a state asylum in the 1840s, and Cassius M. Clay, the Kentucky abolitionist who spoke on Mather's lawn and was heard by a young Abraham Lincoln. When Lincoln died in 1865, Springfield leaders picked Mather Hill as the site for the proposed Lincoln tomb. Mary Lincoln overruled them and chose pastoral Oak Ridge Cemetery instead. Two years later the Mather Hill site was chosen for the new Illinois State Capitol.
Thomas Mather was born in Simsbury, Connecticut, in 1795. His father, William Mather, fought in the Revolutionary War and was a direct descendant of Cotton Mather. The New England minister associated with the Salem Witch Trials. Thomas Mather migrated to the village of Kaskaskia in 1818 and quickly became a business and political leader, advocating for the building of a steamboat landing at the confluence of the Kaskaskia and Mississippi Rivers. Smith's Landing, later renamed Chester, grew and thrived. Mather served 4 terms in the Illinois House of Representatives, two terms in the Illinois Senate, and one term as Speaker of the House. A strident abolitionist, Mather participated in public debates over Illinois' "free-state" constitution, and helped keep slavery out of Illinois.
Mather's many commercial ventures included building a warehouse on this site in 1830, the first-floor walls of which are still intact. Mather moved to Springfield in 1835 and built a home on what became known as "Mather Hill." Here he entertained dignitaries such as Dorothea Dix, the mental health reformer who lobbied for a state asylum in the 1840s, and Cassius M. Clay, the Kentucky abolitionist who spoke on Mather's lawn and was heard by a young Abraham Lincoln. When Lincoln died in 1865, Springfield leaders picked Mather Hill as the site for the
Click or scan to see this page online
proposed Lincoln tomb. Mary Lincoln overruled them and chose pastoral Oak Ridge Cemetery instead. Two years later the Mather Hill site was chosen for the new Illinois State Capitol.
Erected 2019 by The St. Nicholas Brewing Company and the Illinois State Historical Society.
Location. 37° 54.05′ N, 89° 49.737′ W. Marker is in Chester, Illinois, in Randolph County. Marker is on East Kaskaskia Street west of Ferry Street, on the left when traveling south. Marker is in front of St. Nicholas Brewing Company. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 111 Ferry St, Chester IL 62233, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 30, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 30, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 301 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 30, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.