Near Crestwood in Oldham County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
Richard James Oglesby
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 29, 2021
1. Richard James Oglesby Marker (Side A)
Born on July 25, 1824 in Floydsburg, Oldham Co., he was one of eight children born to Col. Jacob and Isabella Watson Oglesby, who, with two of his siblings, died in the 1833 cholera epidemic. Oglesby was raised by an uncle and moved to Decatur, Ill. in 1836. He fought in the Mexican War & Civil War, was married twice, & had eight children.A close friend and supporter of Abraham Lincoln, he is credited with introducing the "rail-splitter" image into Lincoln's 1860 presidential campaign and was at Lincoln's bedside when he died. Oglesby was a brigadier general in the Civil War and a three-time governor of Illinois. He died in Elkhart, Ill. on April 24, 1899.
Erected 2015 by Kentucky Historical Society and Kentucky Department of Highways. (Marker Number 2470.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • War, Mexican-American • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln, and the Kentucky Historical Society series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is July 25, 1824.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. History of the Maples Park (approx. 2.7 miles away); Farming Community Around The Maples Park (approx. 2.7 miles away); Annie Fellows Johnston (approx. 3.2 miles away); CSA Cemetery (approx. 3.2 miles away); Pewee Valley (approx. 3.4 miles away); Confederate Home Cemetery (approx. 4 miles away); Wolf Pen Corridor / Wolf Pen Preservation Association, Inc. (approx. 4.6 miles away); David Wark Griffith (approx. 4.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Crestwood.
Also see . . .
1. Richard J. Oglesby (Wikipedia). (Submitted on June 3, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. The Legend of Lincoln’s Fence Rail. The backstory of how Abe Lincoln's rail-splitter image came to be. By Owen Edwards in Smithsonian Magazine, February 2011. (Submitted on June 3, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 29, 2021
2. Richard James Oglesby Marker (Side B)
Matthew Brady / Public Domain
3. Richard James Oglesby (1824-1899)
Taken between 1870 and 1880. From the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 3, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 3, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 132 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 3, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
