Athens in Menard County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Lincoln and the City of Athens

Looking for Lincoln

— 1837 —

Lincoln and the City of Athens Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jason Voigt, February 22, 2025

1. Lincoln and the City of Athens Marker

Inscription. Abraham Lincoln visited the town of Athens on numerous occasions in the 1830s and 1840s. By then, Athens had become a thriving community - since its first settlement in 1819. Initially, Lincoln's first visits were just north of town, to the home of Col. Matthew Rogers, to borrow books. Between 1833 and 1836, Postmaster Lincoln picked up New Salem's mail in Athens, when the mail carrier couldn't reach New Salem because of river flooding. In 1834, while Deputy Surveyor for Sangamon County, Lincoln surveyed the Athens-Sangamo Town Road ending at Main and Jefferson streets. Upon his election to the Illinois Legislature in 1834, Lincoln came to Athens - to meet and socialize with fellow "Long Nine" legislator (and Athens resident) Robert Wilson. Lincoln and the "Long Nine" were honored at the "Rogers Building" in Athens on Aug. 3, 1837. "While he [Lincoln] lived in New Salem, he visited me often; he would stay a day or two at a time; we generally spent the time at the store in Athens"- Athens resident Robert Wilson (letter to William Herndon, Feb. 10, 1866)

On August 3, 1837 Lincoln and his six other "Long Nine" legislators

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from Sangamon County attended a banquet on the second floor of the "Rogers Building" in Athens. They were being honored for their role in securing the Illinois Legislature's approval to relocate the state capital from Vandalia to Springfield. The Sangamon County legislators were known as the "Long Nine" because they averaged six feet in height. The "Rogers Building" was built in 1831-1832 by Col. Matthew Rogers, a New Yorker and an early resident of the Athens area. In addition to being used for early civic gatherings, the building also served as a store and was the site of Athens' first post office. The building was reportedly the first framed commercial structure north of the Sangamon River. This "tintype" photograph was made c.1870.

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Lincoln-era sites in Athens include: the Athens-Sangamo Town Road surveyed by Lincoln in 1834; the "Rogers Building" where Lincoln, and other "Long Nine" legislators were honored in August 1837; the home of "Long Nine" colleague Robert Wilson that Lincoln occasionally visited, and the Banks Hall tavern where Lincoln stayed at times. When in town, Lincoln would have seen William Strawbridge's

Photographed by Jason Voigt, February 22, 2025

2. Lincoln and the City of Athens Marker

Looking north on Main Street

steam-powered saw and grist mill and an early Methodist Church where Peter Cartwright preached.

Erected 2008 by Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and Menard Co. Tourism Council and Looking for Lincoln.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. 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 February 10, 1819.

Location. 39° 57.617′ N, 89° 43.442′ W. Marker is in Athens, Illinois, in Menard County. It is at the intersection of South Main Street and Jefferson Street, on the right when traveling south on South Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 123 S Main St, Athens IL 62613, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Illinois,

specifically in the Illinois River Valley,

and in Greater Springfield.

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,

Photographed by Jason Voigt, February 22, 2025

3. Lincoln and the City of Athens Marker

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

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Long Nine Banquet Site (within shouting distance of this marker); Abraham Lincoln, Deputy Surveyor, Sangamon County, Illinois (within shouting distance of this marker); Mott & Henning Funeral Home (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. ¾ mile away); V.F.W. Post 5302 Memorial (approx. 0.8 miles away); In Memory Of All Veterans (approx. 3 miles away); The Cantrall Christian Church (approx. 3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Athens.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 25, 2025, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 264 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 25, 2025, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.