Ottawa in LaSalle County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Lincoln Slept Here

Looking for Lincoln

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 30, 2021

1. Lincoln Slept Here Marker

Inscription. Joseph Otis Glover could boast “Lincoln Slept Here” in a bedroom in his modest home at 810 Columbus St. Traveling political candidates often put up at the homes of supporters. Thus, when Lincoln arrived in Ottawa on August 21, 1858, for his first debate with Sen. Stephen A. Douglas, he was feted at Glover's dinner table before being shown to one of Glover's bedrooms. Glover, who was the town mayor that year, was a partner in one of the city's most successful law firms, Cook and Glover, which maintained an office on the second floor of a building at the corner of Court and Madison streets. His law partner, Burton Cook, lived just a block away in an imposing brick home. Glover would end their 30-year partnership in 1869, only after he was appointed U.S. District Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois — which prompted his move to Chicago. The house was demolished in the 1960's. Following their dinner, Lincoln and others, including noted abolitionist Owen Lovejoy of Princeton, gathered on the courthouse lawn for more speeches. Afterwards, candidate Lincoln was accompanied back to the Glover home by a torchlight procession.

Burton Chauncey Cook

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(1819-1894) was a man of few words when it counted. The chairman of the Illinois delegation to the 1864 Baltimore nominating convention leaped on a settee and uttered twenty-four words: “The state of Illinois again presents to the loyal people of this nation for President of the United States — Abraham Lincoln. God bless him.” In 1860, Cook pumped up the crowd for Lincoln's first nomination in Chicago, fluttering his handkerchief to initiate an outburst of cheers. Party affiliation initially stood in the way of the Democrat's support of Lincoln's 1856 Senate bid, but Cook eventually switched parties. State Senator Cook (1852-1861) ushered in a tax-supported state public education system. In 1861, Cook was a peace negotiator before the Civil War, and he was a Congressman from 1865 to 1873 before becoming a railroad lawyer.

Captions
[Top] Ottawa offered an environment where Abraham Lincoln could feel at home. As the county seat and occasional home to the state supreme court, Ottawa was filled with lawyers. On this occasion, Lincoln stayed under J. O. Glover's roof, but on other visits he would stay at the home of T. Lyle Dickey, a future state Supreme Court justice. Another Ottawa jurist, John D. Caton (Supreme Court, 1842-1864) chastised appellate lawyers Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1851 for inadequate preparation in a case brought before him. Many Ottawa attorneys' careers took them to the state's highest court, the legislature, Congress, or even federal office. Other attorneys' names appear on the list of city mayors, clerks, and other offices.
[Bottom]

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 30, 2021

2. Lincoln Slept Here Marker

J. O. Glover Courtesy of Robert S. Jordan; Burton C. Cook Courtesy of David W. Mumper

Erected by Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition • Ottawa Visitors Center, Inc.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln, and the Looking for Lincoln series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is August 21, 1858.

Location. 41° 20.892′ N, 88° 50.466′ W. Marker is in Ottawa, Illinois, in LaSalle County. It is on Columbus Street (Illinois Route 23) north of East Jefferson Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 814 Columbus St, Ottawa IL 61350, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Illinois

and specifically in the Illinois River Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest

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Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Here Abraham Lincoln was entertained (a few steps from this marker); 100 W. Jefferson St. (within shouting distance of this marker); The Daily Times (within shouting distance of this marker); Washington Square (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); LaSalle County Civil War Soldiers Memorial (about 400 feet away); The First Lincoln-Douglas Debate (about 500 feet away); Lincoln and Douglas Debate (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named First Lincoln-Douglas Debate (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ottawa.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 1, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 1, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,467 times since then and 103 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 1, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.