Owen Lovejoy

Owen Lovejoy. 1811 – 1864. Lovejoy Way is a tribute to Owen Lovejoy. Lovejoy came to Princeton in 1838 to minister at the Hampshire Colony Church. He spent 17 years here. When he arrived, he resided with the Butler Denham family, who lived on the east edge of town. When Mr. Denham died, Lovejoy married his widow, Eunice, and continued to live in the home. , The Denham family were abolitionists, as was Lovejoy. The home became an important station on the Underground Railroad. Lovejoy's reputation as a fiery abolitionist spread after a pro-slavery mob in Alton, Illinois, in 1837, burned to the ground the abolitionist newspaper company owned by Lovejoy's brother, Elijah Lovejoy. Elijah Lovejoy was murdered by the mob during the riot. Lovejoy felt the need for political intervention to fulfil his life's purpose. In 1854 he was elected to the Illinois Legislature. Two years later, he joined the the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was elected to four consecutive terms. , Lovejoy was a friend of President Abraham Lincoln, and was one of the special guests invited to witness the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. , Owen Lovejoy's Home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1997, the United States Secretary of the Interior declared the property a National Historic Landmark. , While not at its original location, at the end of this street sits the current Hampshire Congregational Church.