The Survey of Petersburg

The Survey of Petersburg (HM12VO)

Location: Petersburg, IL 62675 Menard County
Buy Illinois State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 40° 0.609', W 89° 50.964'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 1425 views
Inscription
Abraham Lincoln laid out the original sixty blocks of Petersburg, Illinois between November 1835 and February 1836. In 1832, Peter Lukins and George Warburton had laid out a few lots for a new town. Lukins and Warburton played a card game, "Old Sledge," to determine whether the town would be named Petersburg or Georgetown. Lukins won. Both partners sold their stakes in Petersburg within a year. The first detailed survey of the town was undertaken by young Sangamon County Deputy Surveyor Abraham Lincoln in 1835. Since Petersburg afforded better access to the Sangamon River than New Salem, cabins and businesses began to appear in Petersburg. new Salem was abandoned. The northwest portion of Sangamon County became Menard County in 1839, with Petersburg as the county seat. Lincoln often stayed in Petersburg while riding circuit during the 1840's and 1850's. In 1858, while speaking in Petersburg, Lincoln stated that his wife "...insists that he will be a Senator and President too. Just think of such a sucker as me as President." Lincoln spoke these words only a few feet away from this familiar spot where he—-in debt and without a permanent address—-had begun his Petersburg survey.

This Plat of Survey, in Lincoln's own hand, shows the detail of the planned town of Petersburg, Illinois. Lincoln laid a stone at this spot to mark the start of the survey. The bronze medallion on this corner commemorates this Lincoln survey Point. The survey began in November 1835, about two months after the death of Ann Rutledge. The survey was interrupted by Lincoln's attendance at the State Legislative session in Vandalia, Illinois during the months of December 1835 and January 1836. Lincoln completed the survey on February 17, 1836 and also surveyed an additional seven blocks, just north of the public square, for John Bennett. The Petersburg streets were later renamed.

The first known permanent structure in Petersburg was a cabin erected by Peter Lukins in 1832. Lukins used the cabin as a cobbler's shop, his own residence, and an inn. this cabin, which later became known as the "Bennett Inn," was two blocks south of the start of Lincoln's survey. Lincoln stayed at this cabin while surveying in the Petersburg area. The proprietor was John Bennett, who later built the Menard house across from the Public Square. John's brother, Dr. Richard E. Bennett, later built his residence on the same lot. After surveying during the day, Lincoln would retire to his room and draft his plats. Lincoln used a drawing board, a T-square, and triangles to lay out the future town. He carefully inked lines, labeled streets and used a wadded ball of stale bread as an ink blotter.

Details
HM NumberHM12VO
Series This marker is part of the Illinois: Looking for Lincoln series
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, October 24th, 2014 at 5:53am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16T E 256794 N 4432773
Decimal Degrees40.01015000, -89.84940000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 0.609', W 89° 50.964'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 0' 36.54" N, 89° 50' 57.84" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)217
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 100-198 E Jackson St, Petersburg IL 62675, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?