Freedom's Martyr

Freedom's Martyr (HM2GF4)

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N 38° 53.402', W 90° 9.957'

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Elijah P. Lovejoy

Considered by many to be the first casualty of the Civil War, abolitionist editor and Presbyterian minister Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy was killed defending the freedom of the press.

Editor of the St. Louis Observer, Lovejoy wrote powerful anti-slavery editorials that gained national attention. But his views were very unpopular in Missouri, a slave state.

In 1836, Lovejoy moved his press to Alton and renamed it the Alton Observer. Pro-slavery groups repeatedly attacked Lovejoy, destroying and throwing his press into the Mississippi River three times. On November 7, 1837, Lovejoy was shot and killed during a riot while protecting his fourth printing press. No one was ever convicted for any act committed during this event.

Lovejoy's example inspired John Brown and sparked the ideas debated by Abraham Lincoln and Senator Stephen Douglas 21 years later.

Lovejoy's tragic death for freedom in every sense marked his sad ending as the most important single event that ever happened in the new world." —Abraham Lincoln

[Captions:]
"I can die at my post but I cannot desert it."
—Elijah P. Lovejoy

Lovejoy's fourth press arrived in Alton on November 6, 1837, and was placed under guard



in the Godfrey-Gilman warehouse. A mob attacked around midnight, setting the roof ablaze and shooting Lovejoy."

The broadside, pictured above, announced the September 27, 1837, meeting of the state abolitionist group. Lovejoy printed it in Alton shortly before his death.

A recovered piece of one of Lovejoy's presses is on display at The Telegraph offices at 111 E. Broadway near the Ryder Building exhibit.
Details
HM NumberHM2GF4
Series This marker is part of the Illinois: Looking for Lincoln series
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Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 at 8:04pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15S E 745806 N 4308392
Decimal Degrees38.89003333, -90.16595000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 53.402', W 90° 9.957'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 53' 24.12" N, 90° 9' 57.42" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near , ,
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