Interactive Map

Looking for Lincoln wayside

In the center of Urbana, near this site, Lincoln had his photograph taken by Samuel Alschuler, an itinerant photographer. The same photographer would take the first photo of the bearded Lincoln shortly after his election to the presidency.

Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibits tell the stories of Lincoln’s life and times in Illinois.  Each wayside exhibit tells a unique Lincoln story and a local story.  Many of the waysides share little known stories about Lincoln and the individuals he interacted with.  There are over 260 Looking for Lincoln waysides in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.    

The mural is painted on the side of the building on Sandy Street, at the southwest corner of Central Park. The wayside exhibit is located on the edge of the park in the southwest corner of Central Park. In 1856 Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech in the Morgan County Courthouse park, now known as Central Park, sharing his views about one of the hotly debated topics of the day – the extension of slavery into newly organized territories of the United States. Joseph O. King, a local merchant, later recalled Lincoln’s stirring oratory. “He spoke in the courthouse park, and when he came out sharp and strong against slavery, I threw up my hat and shouted, ‘Hurray for Abe Lincoln for president of the United States.’”

The second of two Lincoln points of interest in Stephenson County is the Blackhawk Monument that honors those killed in the Black Hawk War, including the final Illinois battle of 1832 in what is now known as Kent. After serving as captain of the Illinois militia, Abraham Lincoln returned to help bury five of the slain men

Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibits tell the stories of Lincoln’s life and times in Illinois.  Each wayside exhibit tells a unique Lincoln story and a local story.  Many of the waysides share little known stories about Lincoln and the individuals he interacted with.  There are over 260 Looking for Lincoln waysides in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.    

Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibits tell the stories of Lincoln’s life and times in Illinois.  Each wayside exhibit tells a unique Lincoln story and a local story.  Many of the waysides share little known stories about Lincoln and the individuals he interacted with.  There are over 260 Looking for Lincoln waysides in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.    

During his twenty years on the Eighth Judicial Circuit, Abraham Lincoln tried numerous cases in the DeWitt County courthouses, including a slander case involving William Dungey.  In 1851, Dungey, "a dark-skinned man of Portuguese descent," married Joseph Spencer's sister.  The brothers-in-law had a dispute that became so bitter that by 1855, Spencer was making a serious accusation:  "Black Bill" Dungey, as Spencer was calling him, was a "negro."  In this time and place, if Dungey were indeed proven to have one-fourth African blood, he stood to lose his good reputation as well as his legal rights to his marriage, property ownership, his vote, and Illinois residency...

Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas were co-counsel for the defendant in DeWitt County's first murder trial, People vs. Spencer Turner, one of the very few times Lincoln and Douglas worked as partners.  Turner was charged with causing injuries that led to the demise of Mathew Martin.  Proving the deceased came to his death from lying out in the harsh elements rather than blunt force to the head, the two won their case... 

Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibits tell the stories of Lincoln’s life and times in Illinois.  Each wayside exhibit tells a unique Lincoln story and a local story.  Many of the waysides share little known stories about Lincoln and the individuals he interacted with.  There are over 260 Looking for Lincoln waysides in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.    

Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibits tell the stories of Lincoln’s life and times in Illinois.  Each wayside exhibit tells a unique Lincoln story and a local story.  Many of the waysides share little known stories about Lincoln and the individuals he interacted with.  There are over 260 Looking for Lincoln waysides in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.    

Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibits tell the stories of Lincoln’s life and times in Illinois.  Each wayside exhibit tells a unique Lincoln story and a local story.  Many of the waysides share little known stories about Lincoln and the individuals he interacted with.  There are over 260 Looking for Lincoln waysides in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.    

Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibits tell the stories of Lincoln’s life and times in Illinois.  Each wayside exhibit tells a unique Lincoln story and a local story.  Many of the waysides share little known stories about Lincoln and the individuals he interacted with.  There are over 260 Looking for Lincoln waysides in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.    

Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibits tell the stories of Lincoln’s life and times in Illinois.  Each wayside exhibit tells a unique Lincoln story and a local story.  Many of the waysides share little known stories about Lincoln and the individuals he interacted with.  There are over 260 Looking for Lincoln waysides in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.