Historical marker going up at square

ALTON — Just a year before the sesquicentennial anniversary of the seventh senatorial debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in 2008, a marker will be rededicated at the historical spot where it all took place in Downtown Alton.

 While the Illinois State Historical Society is in town holding its annual meeting this weekend, it will unveil a new historical marker at the Lincoln-Douglas Square. A small ceremony will take place at 11:15 a.m. Saturday at the site, with just a few words spoken in front of historical society members and various elected officials, which may or may not include the mayor of Alton, county officials and some state representatives, according to Bill Furry, executive director of the historical society.

 “We try to do a marker in every county we visit,” Furry said. “We haven’t been here since 1989.”

The former marker was either lost or taken sometime during the reconstruction of the plaza after the flood of 1993, Furry said.

Also, the new marker corrects the date of the debate, stated wrongly on the previous marker. The debate took place Oct. 15, 1858, and the previous marker said Oct. 16.

This marker is one of eight that will be dedicated in April and May by the society.

The only one getting a formal ceremony, this particular site is important because it is one of only seven Lincoln-Douglas sites in the state.

 “That makes these cities where these speeches were made very important in the nation’s history as well as Illinois’ history,” Furry said. “It’s important to remember these things. People come to town and forget that there’s a history there.”  It is a goal of the society to rededicate all the Lincoln-Douglas markers in the state before the Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009, he said.

The cost of the new marker is being split, with half paid by the Illinois State Historical Society, and the other half split between the Alton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau and Alton Township. The exact cost was not immediately available.

In 1908, the first bronze marker adorned City Hall when it sat at that location before a fire destroyed the building in 1924, Alton Township Supervisor Don Huber said.

After the building burned, the spot became a parking lot — the marker stood on an island in the lot near some park benches, Huber said.

The historical society added its marker in 1976.

More recently, the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club raised money for the reconstruction of the plaza — the way the square looks today with the statues, and the society’s marker, bearing the wrong date, went missing.

Brett Stawar, president of the Alton Regional Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, said many people who visit the area do so because of Alton’s history.

 “A lot of people really view this as the first and last of the great debates,” Stawar said of the event marked by the square and soon, the marker as well.

Stawar said the debate was part of what helped Lincoln become well known enough to be elected the 16th president of the United States in 1860.

Although Huber said there is currently a marker in the ground in front of the statues that recalls the events of the debate, visitors frequent the Visitor’s Center for more information on Alton’s Civil War history, which ties in with Lincoln’s history in general.

 “Increased interpretation there at the site will prove to be valuable,” Stawar said.

Huber, a member of the historical society and a history enthusiast, said the marker itself will act as a magnet, drawing visitors to pull over to the side of the road to see the square, which could easily be missed by passersby as it currently is.

 “This sign will make it a much more recognizable heritage site,” he said.

 In addition to the Lincoln-Douglas marker, the Piasa Bird historical marker in Piasa Park was recovered, repainted and will be reinstalled as soon as Friday. When the metal Piasa Bird was moved from its original location, the marker went missing. Recently, it was found in someone’s home and returned to the city, said Huber.

According to a publication put out by the historical society, the Illinois Department of Transportation helped with the project. Huber said Jim Hernandez and the Alton Public Works Department were also instrumental.

 IF YOU GO
WHAT: Ceremony to install new historical marker
WHERE: At Lincoln-Douglas Square, Market and Broadway, Alton
WHEN: 11:15 a.m. Saturday
WHY: The former marker was lost or stolen

laura_griffith@thetelegraph.com