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 Presenting Lincoln in the namesake town of Lincoln, Illinois is a
natural of course. Aside from the captivating portrayal from Daniel
Day-Lewis, that 2012 motion picture is a wonderfully told accounting
of Lincoln’s final months as president, a tale of how he wielded the
political avenues of his executive authority to achieve the noble
goal of ending slavery. It is a powerful reminder of the awesome
challenges and opportunities that come with the mantle of
leadership.
Watching that movie, one cannot but be struck with inspiration that
this same leader who took such breathtaking strides towards civil
rights in 1865 was the same lanky lawyer and legislator who
regularly scurried through the downtown streets of our city of
Lincoln, and who sauntered along the dusty roads of our own Logan
County in the 1840s and 1850s.
 Though older, war-worn, and much wiser in 1865, if one looks hard
enough at a photograph of the face of President Lincoln in 1865, or
a movie still from Spielberg’s Lincoln, the humble railsplitter and
the common man of the frontier people is still visible. By the time
he lived in the White House, Lincoln had outgrown his youth, but
never outgrew the strength of character and the quantity of humility
that the people of Logan County witnessed before Lincoln occupied
the Executive Mansion.
Though one often takes for granted what is in our own “backyards,”
those associated with tourism in this city have heard the same
comments numerous times from visitors who come here from afar. They
tell us: “You are fortunate to be living in an area so rich with
Abraham Lincoln history.” They are correct.
It is somewhat marvelous that visitors from all over the world come
here to our county specifically to take in our Abraham Lincoln
history and travel on our Route 66. In many ways we do live in an
area which represents what is truly spectacular and greatly
respected about America.
Indeed, take a trip to any one of these locations in Logan County,
and you will encounter stories every bit as fascinating as that of
the movie Lincoln.
- To the peak of Elkhart Hill where Lincoln traversed Edward’s
Trace on a borrowed horse
- To the Stagecoach Inn at Middletown, where Lincoln
socialized with the earliest settlers of Logan County
- To the courthouses at Postville and in Mount Pulaski where
Lincoln argued the finer points of law
- To the christening site in Lincoln where it all began for
the city of Lincoln
- To Atlanta where ardent supporters held Wide-Awakes parades
in his honor
- To University Hall at the only college named for him in his
lifetime.
These are just some of the physical, tangible reminders of
what Lincoln did for our county, long before what he did for our
country.
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If not for what happened here in our own backyard decades prior
to the presidency, what we see unfolded in the movie Lincoln
never would have happened at all. In other words, the fate of
history and the fate of mankind developed here in Lincoln and
Logan County.
The residents of this area were among the first to recognize the
rising potential of frontier lawyer.
We returned the favor of what Lincoln gave to us.
Through four terms in the state legislature, one congressional
tenure, a senatorial run, and two elections as president, Logan
County never failed to provide Abraham Lincoln with a solid victory
at the polls. Indeed very few counties anywhere gave such solid
support as Logan County did. And Mr. Lincoln acknowledged that.
While Abraham Lincoln’s farewell speech to the citizens of
Springfield in February 1861 is more famous, he likewise made it a
point to deliver an equally fond farewell from the back of the train
here in his namesake city of Lincoln, telling the citizens gathered
at the train depot downtown, “Thank you for the many kindnesses you
have always manifested towards me.”
It is certain that at the onset of his presidency, many nationwide
harbored reservations about Lincoln’s ability to hold a fragile
country together. But not Logan County. This county felt pride that
the father of their county, the father of their namesake city, and
now their favorite son, was now the leader of the country.
We here, the inheritors of that legacy of Lincoln, have the
opportunity and responsibility to be stewards of those physical
places in our own backyard. They have been handed down to us to
maintain that honored legacy, to preserve and cherish it for future
generations, and to share its importance with our children and
visitors.
 Abraham Lincoln was proud to be associated with this area. May we
feel a similar pride that we reside in this namesake city, may we be
inspired by our heritage, and may we live out lives of character in
the example of Abraham Lincoln.
[Ron J. Keller is associate professor
of history and political science at Lincoln College, and managing
director of the Abraham Lincoln Center for Character Development,
which is housed at the Lincoln Heritage Museum.] |
