Historical Markers and War Memorials in Hancock County, Illinois
Carthage is the county seat for Hancock County
Adjacent to Hancock County, Illinois
Adams County(82) ► Henderson County(4) ► McDonough County(8) ► Schuyler County(7) ► Lee County, Iowa(25) ► Clark County, Missouri(12) ► Lewis County, Missouri(6) ►
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"One of your sledge hammer speeches will effect wonders," declared the man who invited Lincoln to attend the district convention held in Augusta on August 25, 1858. Putting aside concerns that it might be overcrowding his agenda for the senate . . . — — Map (db m181415) HM
Abraham Lincoln probably stayed at the Hamilton House when he came to Carthage in 1839 to serve as the defendant's counsel in the Fraim murder trial. There are no other known Lincoln court cases in Hancock County. But he did handle . . . — — Map (db m57867) HM
Alexander Sympson knew Lincoln when they were small boys in Kentucky. Like Lincoln, he moved to Illinois in the 1830's, and arrived in Carthage in early 1844, just as contention with the Mormons was peaking. In 1858 Sympson was the most . . . — — Map (db m57869) HM
Agricultural life has defined the very essence of Hancock County from the earliest days of its Anglo-American settlement. Lincoln, however, seemed indifferent to agriculture. Once he left his father's home, Lincoln never farmed again. . . . — — Map (db m57876) HM
Hancock County was off the beaten track for Abraham Lincoln. County residents were more familiar with his senatorial opponent, Stephen A. Douglas. In October 1858, Lincoln addressed an enthusiastic audience on the Carthage square. . . . — — Map (db m57871) HM
Abraham Lincoln defended himself against political attacks during much of the speech he delivered here on the courthouse grounds on October 22, 1858. Stephen A. Douglas, who had spoken here eleven days earlier, had accused Lincoln of . . . — — Map (db m57878) HM
Abraham Lincoln lost a murder case here in April, 1839 A drunken Irish deckhand, William Fraim, killed a shipmate while their steamboat was docked at Frederick on the Illinois River in Schuyler County. When the shipmate blew cigar smoke . . . — — Map (db m57865) HM
This building was constructed by N. P. McKee and the Hancock Masonic Lodge in 1887. It was designed by Geo. W. Payne, a nationally renowned architect, with a large arched window and pyramid-shaped roof. in 1924 the building was purchased by . . . — — Map (db m57866) HM
In the old Carthage jail, which stands one block south of here, Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Prophet and Patriarch of the Mormon Church, were killed by a mob on June 27, 1844. Two years later the Mormons withdrew from Illinois, where they had settled in . . . — — Map (db m57872) HM
Forty acres of land were acquired by the Catholic church in the early 1830's from land in the Military Tract, which had been set aside for the veteran survivors of the War of 1812. Title to this land on the Southeast Quarter of the Northeast . . . — — Map (db m181443) HM
The fertile prairies of Illinois attracted the attention of French trader Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette as they explored the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers in 1673. France claimed this region until 1763 when he surrendered it to Great . . . — — Map (db m55419) HM
In 1673 the areas of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers were explored by Frenchmen Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette. Their voyages resulted in French claims on the area until 1763 when, by the Treaty of Paris, France ceded the land to . . . — — Map (db m55418) HM
Abraham Lincoln came into LaHarpe from the west, riding in a phaeton borrowed from Daniel Bainter. There were some dissenters along his parade route. He spoke at the Methodist Episcopal Church, the so-called "Little Church Around the Corner," . . . — — Map (db m181448) HM
On October 23, 1858, while campaigning for election to the U.S. Senate, Abraham Lincoln was a guest in this home, then occupied by Calvin E. King. — — Map (db m181446) HM
In memory of
Royce Oatman Family in LaHarpe
1832-1842
Four of seven children were born here: Lucy, Lorenzo, Olive and Royce Jr. In 1851, six members were massacred by Indians in Arizona. Olive, and sister Mary Ann, were captured. Lorenzo . . . — — Map (db m181447) HM
Lewis Bidamon, second husband of Emma Smith, built this structure during the 1860s from the foundation stone of the Nauvoo House. Bidamon owned a carriage “manufactory.” He, and his brothers John and Christian had conducted a number of . . . — — Map (db m55436) HM
Near here, the Mormon exodus to the Rocky Mountains began on February 4, 1846 in seven years, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly called the Mormons, had built Nauvoo to a size comparable to Chicago, with . . . — — Map (db m55440) HM
On the anniversary of the 200th year celebration of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the 175th anniversary of the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, this monument of His prophets Joseph Smith and Brigham Young has been . . . — — Map (db m55439) HM
In 1839 the Mormons, or Latter Day Saints, settled at Nauvoo and made it their chief city. During their residence its population reached 15,000. After long friction with non-Mormons the Mormons were expelled in 1846. Three years later French . . . — — Map (db m55444) HM
Completed in 1843, the Mansion House was the second Nauvoo residence of Joseph Smith and his wife Emma. A hotel wing was added and opened in late 1843. The hotel was leased to Ebenezer Robinson in January 1844. As part of the lease agreement, the . . . — — Map (db m55435) HM
In 1841 church members were commanded to build two “houses,” a house for the Lord (the Nauvoo Temple) and a house for man to be known as the Nauvoo House. It was to be “a delightful habitation for man, and a resting-place for the . . . — — Map (db m55433) HM
This is the site of the original survey stone for Nauvoo, the "city beautiful," founded by church members in 1839 after they were forced to leave Missouri. All streets of the city were platted from this point. The two widest streets in Nauvoo at the . . . — — Map (db m68890) HM
Nauvoo was once the site of a Sauk and Fox village. After the Indians moved west of the Mississippi, promoters attempted to develop town sites here but the marshy bottom lands attracted few settlers.
In 1839, the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith . . . — — Map (db m55432) HM
The original Red Brick Store opened for business on January 5, 1842, with Joseph Smith as owner and proprietor. The main floor was a general store. At the back on this floor, Bishop Newell K. Whitney had an office where people could pay their bills . . . — — Map (db m55437) HM
This two-story, two-room log block house was located on the original 135 acres purchased from local farmer Hugh White and may date to 1803. Joseph Smith moved here in the spring of 1839 with his wife Emma; sons Joseph III, Frederick Granger . . . — — Map (db m55434) HM
A communal society of French Icarians was established at Nauvoo in 1849. Led by Etienne Cabet, a French political theorist, the Icarians believed that all property must be held communally. The community was incorporated by the Illinois General . . . — — Map (db m55442) HM
On the morning of June 24, 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum left their families, homes, and fellow Saints for the last time. Traveling on horseback, they paused on this bluff. Joseph looked admiringly at the unfinished temple and the city of . . . — — Map (db m55443) HM
