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Constructed by the Broadwell family as a stagecoach stop between Springfield and Beardstown in 1824, the Inn is the oldest brick building in Sangamon County. Listed on the National register of Historic Places, the Inn is surrounded by numerous other historic buildings from central Illinois that were moved to Clayville in the 1960s to recreate an early frontier pioneer village. Come discover a unique piece of Illinois history.

A smallpox virus spread rapidly through the Alton Prison in 1863, killing more than 1,435 incarcerated soldiers. The soldiers are laid to rest here and each of their names is commemorated at the Memorial. The Alton Prison and Confederate Cemetery are some of the rare northernmost monuments to the Confederate Soldier.

In the 1840s and 1850s, the Franklin House was one of the largest and finest hotels in Alton. Spectators of the debate came by train and steamboat from all over Illinois and the nearby slave state of Missouri to witness the last of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates in Alton. Lincoln used the Franklin House as his campaign headquarters where supporters gathered for the day.

Carthage Jail is a historic building built in 1839.  It is best known as the location of the 1844 killing of Joseph Smith and founder of the Latter Day Saint movement and his brother Hyrum, by a mob of approximately 150 men.  The site is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a historic site with an adjacent  visitors' center.

In 1848, Illinois was a very different place! Prairies covered much of the state, settlers used wagons, stagecoaches & boats for transportation and to ship goods, and LaSalle, IL was bigger than Chicago!

Visit the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Area & take a journey back in time aboard the “Volunteer,” a mule-pulled 1840’s replica canal boat, as it coasts gently up and down the Illinois & Michigan Canal.

The only I&M Canal toll house in existence, The Ottawa Office offers a unique glimpse of what life was like in the 1800’s. As only one of four stops for the collection of tolls, these houses once stood in LaSalle, Lockport and Chicago with the LaSalle office closing in 1876.

Explore Joseph & Emma Smith’s Nauvoo. Guided tours begin in the Visitor Center, and include the Homestead, Mansion House, Red Brick Store, and the Smith Family Cemetery.

Visitors can pick up the Lincoln & Civil War Legacy Trail guide at the Alton Visitor's Center, located at 200 Piasa Street (across from Argosy Casino) in Downtown Alton. While some of the sites are within walking distance of each other, most will require some mode of transportation. The trail is self-guided, and visitors can explore the sites in any order they wish.

Lincoln's first visits to Alton can be traced back to the early 1840s. Experience the life of young Lincoln as a lawyer, duelist and orator. It was here that the final Lincoln-Douglas Debate took place, with the issue of slavery on the minds spectators. It was here that Confederate soldiers were held captive, died and were buried. It was here that Alton resident and U.S. Senator Lyman Trumbull authored the 13th Amendment, putting an end to slavery in the United States. 

 Walk in the footsteps of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, and Civil War soldiers from both North and South, as you explore the lasting legacies of Lincoln in Alton.

The new trail connects ten historic sites in Alton relating to Lincoln's time spent here and the city's connections to the Civil War. The journey begins with Lincoln & Douglas in Lincoln-Douglas Square. Subsequent sites include: Ryder Building, Smallpox Island and Lincoln-Shields Duel sites, Lovejoy Monument, National Cemetery, Lyman Trumbull House, Confederate Cemetery, Alton Prison and Franklin House. At each of the sites, visitors will find interpretive panels that further tell the story of each site and Alton's connections to American history.

Restored 1852 train depot, from which President-Elect Abraham Lincoln departed for Washington D.C. on February 11, 1861. Lincoln gave one of his most memorable speeches from the back of a train at this location. Self-guided exhibit.

Lincoln Douglas debate site in downtown Alton