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)

Inscription. 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. 38° 21.489′ N, 85° 30.014′ W. Marker is near Crestwood, Kentucky, in Oldham County. Marker is on State Highway 329, 0.1 miles north

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

of Old Zaring Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7700 Highway 329, Crestwood KY 40014, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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.)

Richard James Oglesby Marker (Side B) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 29, 2021

2. Richard James Oglesby Marker (Side B)

Richard James Oglesby (1824-1899) image. Click for full size.

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 173 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 3, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.