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.  
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.
House numbers were not brought until a number of years after Lincoln's death         

I guess no one was home!  :)

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