Looking For Lincoln

Looking For Lincoln The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area It is the only National Heritage Area named for a president.
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The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area was designated by Congress and then the authorizing legislation was signed by the President on May 8, 2008. The legislation designates the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition as the management entity for the heritage area. The coalition and the National Heritage Area cover the same 42 counties in central Illinois. They share a mission to preserve, inte

rpret and promote the heritage and culture of the area, in the context of Abraham Lincoln’s life in Illinois. They further seek to inform and educate, develop and interpret visitor- ready sites, creating a living history experience , chronicling the evolution of the area’s landscape and extending these opportunities to the largest audience possible. By means of a thought-provoking engagement with rich stories and evocative tales of connections, the Heritage Area endeavorsto explore themes
related to Lincoln the lawyer and politician, Lincoln and civil rights, the Underground Railroad, and Lincoln and the Civil War. Under the leadership of the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition, a consortium of central Illinois sites and communities with the crucial support of partners like the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, the Illinois Office of Tourism, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, and the National Park Service can now give visitors the opportunity to literally walk in Lincoln’s footsteps

Don't miss Lincoln Log Cabin's Civil War Weekend, June 19, 2026 - June 21, 2026! Bring out Dad and spend Father's Day We...
06/01/2026

Don't miss Lincoln Log Cabin's Civil War Weekend, June 19, 2026 - June 21, 2026!

Bring out Dad and spend Father's Day Weekend learning about the men who answered President Lincoln's call for troops in 1861, those who remained on the home front, and those on the other side!

Visit with soldiers and civilian reenactors, watch mounted and dismounted drilling exercises, participate in a base ball game with 1850s rules, and learn about the lives of Civil War soldiers. Special presentations are scheduled throughout the weekend, and a dance (open to the public!) will be held on Saturday evening.

This event is free for the visiting public.

Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, a gateway site for the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, was the 1840s home of Abraham Lincoln’s father and stepmother, Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln. It is located eight miles south of Charleston and 14 miles southeast of Mattoon, Illinois.

This event is produced by Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site and the Lincoln Log Cabin Foundation. For more information about this or other events at the site, call 217-345-1845, email [email protected], or visit www.lincolnlogcabin.org.

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 31, 1864, in the morning, President Lincoln observes as groups of children, who are ...
05/31/2026

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 31, 1864, in the morning, President Lincoln observes as groups of children, who are participating in the "Sunday School Celebration," parade past the White House.

A newspaper reports, "President Lincoln was cheered by the children, and he, being at one of the front windows, acknowledged the compliment with a bow.”

The photo is of the north front of The White House from the 1860s, and is one of the earliest known photos of the building. The Pierre Jean David d'Angers statue of Thomas Jefferson is on the lawn and the conservatory is on the right.

Information from www.thelincolnlog.org. Photo from the Library of Congress collection.

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 30, 1922, the Lincoln Memorial at Washington, D.C. is dedicated.Commission president ...
05/30/2026

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 30, 1922, the Lincoln Memorial at Washington, D.C. is dedicated.

Commission president William H. Taft – who was then Chief Justice of the United States – dedicated the Memorial on May 30, 1922, and presented it to President Warren G. Harding, who accepted it on behalf of the American people.

Lincoln's only surviving son, 78-year-old Robert Todd Lincoln, was in attendance.

Prominent African Americans were invited to the event and discovered upon arrival they were assigned a segregated section guarded by U.S. Marines, a policy implemented by director of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, Lieutenant Colonel Clarence O. Sherrill.

Learn more about the Lincoln Memorial at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Memorial

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 30, 1836, the New Salem post office is discontinued. On May 7, 1833, Lincoln was app...
05/30/2026

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 30, 1836, the New Salem post office is discontinued.

On May 7, 1833, Lincoln was appointed postmaster of New Salem, Illinois. In this position, "Honest Abe" would carry letters in his top hat for the chance encounter with their intended recipients.

In addition to a salary, his position as Postmaster entitled him to send and receive mail free of charge and receive free delivery of one newspaper. Lincoln worked as New Salem’s postmaster for three years until his election to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1836.

Documentation of Lincoln's work as postmaster of New Salem exists. The Official Registrar of the United States indicates that Lincoln received $55.70 in pay in 1835, along with $19.48 for a quarter of a year's worth of work two years later.

Visit Lincoln's New Salem today, a top site in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area:
https://visitspringfieldillinois.com/LocationDetails/?id=Lincoln%27s-New-Salem-State-Historic-Site

Photo is of Lincoln's New Salem State Historic site. Info from www.thelincolnlog.org, plus additional info from https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/lincoln-from-postmaster-to-president/postmaster-lincoln

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 29, 1849, Abraham Lincoln visits his father and stepmother near Charleston, Illinois...
05/29/2026

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 29, 1849, Abraham Lincoln visits his father and stepmother near Charleston, Illinois on their farm near Lerna, Illinois.

Today, the site is known as Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, a highlight of the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. It preserves the 19th-century home of Thomas Lincoln and Sarah Bush Lincoln, father and step-mother of our 16th president.

Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer living in Springfield by the time his parents moved here, but his burgeoning law practice often brought him to Charleston and the farm, especially during the 1840s. He also owned a portion of the farm which he deeded back to his father and step-mother for their use during their lifetime.

While in the Visitor Center, enjoy the exhibit galleries highlighting the Lincolns, as well as a 14-minute film about the Lincolns, 1840s life, and the site's living history program.

Learn more at
https://lincolnlogcabin.org/

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 28, 1863, Lincoln authorizes Gen. Rosecrans to give James Jaquess furlough to go int...
05/28/2026

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 28, 1863, Lincoln authorizes Gen. Rosecrans to give James Jaquess furlough to go into Confederate territory to seek out members of Methodist Church and others opposed to war.

James Jaquess, the first president of the Illinois Conference Female Academy, which became MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois. His home in Jacksonville (pictured) is featured with a Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibit.

Jaquess, a Methodist minister, first met Lincoln when he was preaching and Lincoln was practicing law in central Illinois. During the Civil War, Lincoln entrusted Jaquess with important missions.

In 1863, Jaquess met with Confederate officials to discuss ending the war. The following year, Jaquess met with Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who declared that the South would accept peace only if it could remain independent. Jaquess gave an oral report to Lincoln that was transcribed and printed as campaign literature for the Union Republican Party.

Jaquess traveled a lot for his missions, and Lincoln claimed he would pay him back for the expenses, but he was assassinated before he could do so. Jaquess was however paid back an amount of roughly $6,719 by the U.S. on what would have been Lincoln's 64th birthday. Jaquess had also given multiple speeches to aid in the reelection of Lincoln in 1864.

Learn more about seeing the Jacquess house in Jacksonville at
https://jacksonvilleil.org/business-directory/james-jaquess-house/

Info from the www.thelincolnlog.org, https://theclio.com/entry/49000, and the Jacksonville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 27, 1854, in Danville, IL., Lincoln participates in two jury trials. In first, his c...
05/27/2026

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 27, 1854, in Danville, IL., Lincoln participates in two jury trials.

In first, his client is found guilty of keeping disorderly house and fined $20.

In second, jury returns verdict against defendant, whom Lincoln and Lamon represent, and assesses plaintiff's damages at $127.54.

The Lamon Home is an unique location to visit in the Danville, IL area. Probably the oldest frame residence in Danville, Built in 1850 by Joseph and Melissa Beckwith Lamon, Melissa was the daughter of the man after whom Danville was named -- Dan Beckwith.

Her husband, Joseph Lamon, was the cousin of Ward Hill Lamon, a Danville attorney who was for four years the law partner of Abraham Lincoln, and who later went to Washington, D.C. with Lincoln to act as the friend and bodyguard during the Civil War (1861-1865).

Find out more about visiting the Lamon home at:
https://vermilioncountymuseum.org/lamon-house/

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 24, 1863, President Lincoln and Republican U.S. Senator James R. Doolittle, of Wisco...
05/24/2026

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 24, 1863, President Lincoln and Republican U.S. Senator James R. Doolittle, of Wisconsin, visit three Washington, D. C. hospitals.

A newspaper reports, "The President expressed his gratification at the excellent condition of the hospitals and the comfortable condition of the patients. He shook hands with over one thousand soldiers, nearly all of whom were able to stand up. The soldiers seemed highly delighted as the President grasped them by the hand."

From the New York Herald, 26 May 1863

Photo is of the Washington, D.C. Sanitary Commission Home Lodge, with convalescent soldiers and others outside quarters, c. 1862-1865, from the Library of Congress collection.

Info from www.thelincolnlog.org

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 23, 1860, Lincoln writes to George Ashmun, who presided over the Republican National ...
05/23/2026

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 23, 1860, Lincoln writes to George Ashmun, who presided over the Republican National Convention, and accepts the party's nomination for President of the United States.

Lincoln writes, "Imploring the assistance of Divine Providence, and with due regard to the views and feelings of all who were represented in the convention; to the rights of all the states, and territories, and people of the nation; to the inviolability of the constitution, and the perpetual union, harmony, and prosperity of all, I am most happy to co-operate for the practical success of the principles declared by the convention."

Info from www.thelincolnlog.org. Photo from Library of Congress and Wikipedia.

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 22, 1849, Lincoln’s patent, No. 6,469, was granted on May 22, 1849, for a device for ...
05/22/2026

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On May 22, 1849, Lincoln’s patent, No. 6,469, was granted on May 22, 1849, for a device for "Buoying Vessels Over Shoals," when he was back in Springfield practicing law after one term as an Illinois congressman in Washington. It was applied for March 10, 1849.

His idea, to equip boats with inflatable bellows of "india-rubber cloth, or other suitable water-proof fabric" levered alongside the hull, came as a result of river and lake expeditions he made as a young man, ferrying people and produce on area rivers. At least twice his boats ran aground on sandbars or hung up on other obstacles; given the Big River's ever-shifting shallows, such potentially dangerous misadventures happened often.

Freeing a beached vessel usually involved the laborious unloading of cargo until the boat rode high enough to clear the snag. According to Harry R. Rubenstein, chair of the Division of Politics and Reform at NMAH, Lincoln "was keenly interested in water transportation and canal building, and enthusiastically promoted both when he served in the Illinois legislature." He was also an admirer of patent law, famously declaring that it "added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius."

Full info at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/abraham-lincoln-only-president-have-patent-131184751/?fbclid=IwY2xjawRjl6FleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE2cmxQSHVyMWp2MHVhaGo4c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHp_BMFgx9VWclc-S14lWA-B7VT6rizOr0WfVczcFqb775ht3el66cRSVSsHx_aem_cqpRNW5I6_kkoJK3Ol-Iow

Photo and info is from the same article.

Address

P. O. Box 5398
Springfield, IL
62705

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+12174928366

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