On The Campaign Trail

On The Campaign Trail (HMG48)

Location: Clinton, IL 61727 De Witt County
Buy Illinois State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 40° 9.731', W 88° 56.757'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 844 views
Inscription

— Looking for Lincoln —

Top Section

Clifton H. Moore, DeWitt County's first resident attorney, built this stately brick home in 1857-58 on an eighty-acre tract of land purchased from Judge David Davis. The original house suffered damage from a windstorm and now lacks the west wing as pictured. In 1880, Moore purchased and moved into another large Clinton home known as "The Homestead."

Middle Section

Lincoln and Douglas had numerous speaking engagements other than their scheduled debates. Lincoln gave over sixty speeches, including one in a grove in the west part of Clinton on September 2, 1858.
The Republican grand mass meeting and barbecue picnic was preceded by a parade of elaborately decorated horse-drawn floats. An estimated crowd of ten thousand attended the gala affair, despite a heavy morning rain. "The Central Transcript" reported Clifton H. Moore introduced Lincoln, whose speech was "clear and convincing on the usual topics of the time."
Lincoln and Horace White, a "Chicago Tribune" reporter assigned to cover the event, traveled by train from Springfield, necessitating an early morning transfer at Decatur. Lincoln just barely caught the northbound train and failed to rouse White who finally awakened when the conductor called out "state line" (Indiana).
Consequently, it was evening before the weary White reached Moore's country home where he and Lincoln were overnight guests. White missed writing his newspaper report and payment for same, but all three men acquired a humorous story to share.

Bottom Section

Clinton's newspaper, the "Central Transcript," strongly supported the Republican Party and Lincoln's participation in his campaign for President, including his four speeches delivered in Clinton, 1856-59.
The paper publicized and urged attendance to Clinton's Lincoln Club and parades of the Wide Awakes organized prior to the 1860 election. Phrases such as "old familiar face is again amongst us" and "he never fails to receive a hearty welcome," even "Old Abe" reveal a friendship between the editor and Lincoln.
The editor also wrote that the last time Lincoln was in Clinton, an old acquaintance apologized for naming his very ugly hound dog "Abe Lincoln." Lincoln's response was, "I don't care anything about it if the dog don't." Lincoln wrote his desire to subscribe to the newspaper and stated he would "pay at fall court."
Details
HM NumberHMG48
Series This marker is part of the Illinois: Looking for Lincoln series
Tags
Year Placed2008
Placed ByClinton Noon Rotary Club, Lincoln Heritage of DeWitt County
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, August 31st, 2014 at 7:50pm 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 334282 N 4447573
Decimal Degrees40.16218333, -88.94595000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 9.731', W 88° 56.757'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 9' 43.86" N, 88° 56' 45.42" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)217
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1053 750 N, Clinton IL 61727, 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.

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. This marker needs at least one picture.
  8. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  9. Is the marker in the median?