A Day with Mr. Lincoln
Sunday, September 15 2019
Day 29 on the Loop – Alton, IL (0 miles)
As I come to the end of my time in Illinois I thought I should go to some of the sites associated with President Lincoln. The final Douglas/Lincoln debate was held in Alton on October 15, 1858 pitting the pro-slavery Douglas against the Republican/Anti-slavery Lincoln. This was a prelude for the 1858 Congressional elections, in which both men were candidates.
Although Lincoln did not get the seat, he developed a higher profile nationally, which led to his being elected as President in 1860.
I went to the Lincoln home in Springfield, IL. Lincoln lived in Springfield from 1837 until he left for Washington in 1861.
Arriving on a Sunday morning, with a light rain and past the main tourist season, was a good thing. I was able to get on to a 10:45 tour with a very knowledgeable ranger who met the group of a dozen people at a house across the road and gave us an overview before walking us across the road to the Lincoln home.
The National Park Service has done a really nice job of putting together an interpretive program that gives you sense of what life was like during the period and a context of the pressures that were tearing the nation apart.
As I come to the end of my time in Illinois I thought I should go to some of the sites associated with President Lincoln. The final Douglas/Lincoln debate was held in Alton on October 15, 1858 pitting the pro-slavery Douglas against the Republican/Anti-slavery Lincoln. This was a prelude for the 1858 Congressional elections, in which both men were candidates.
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| Alton - Lincoln Douglas Debate Location |
Although Lincoln did not get the seat, he developed a higher profile nationally, which led to his being elected as President in 1860.
I went to the Lincoln home in Springfield, IL. Lincoln lived in Springfield from 1837 until he left for Washington in 1861. Arriving on a Sunday morning, with a light rain and past the main tourist season, was a good thing. I was able to get on to a 10:45 tour with a very knowledgeable ranger who met the group of a dozen people at a house across the road and gave us an overview before walking us across the road to the Lincoln home.
The National Park Service has done a really nice job of putting together an interpretive program that gives you sense of what life was like during the period and a context of the pressures that were tearing the nation apart.
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| House numbers were not brought until a number of years after Lincoln's death I guess no one was home! :) |
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