Abraham Lincoln in Kewanee
CITY:
Kewanee
COUNTY:
Henry
DEDICATED BY:
The Kewanee Historical Society, Kewanee Preservation Society, and the Illinois State Historical Society
DEDICATION DATE:
October 27, 2018 at 12:00:00 AM
The marker is located on the lawn between the Kewanee Public Library and United States Post Office at 116 South Tremont Street in Kewanee.
During the campaign for U.S. Senate in 1858, Abraham Lincoln arrived in Kewanee by train from Macomb the morning of October 27, 1858. Lincoln traveled by carriage to Toulon to deliver a speech before returning to Kewanee later the same day. Lincoln stayed the night in Kewanee, leaving on the train to Chicago the morning of the 28th. Before boarding the train, Lincoln delivered a speech to residents of Kewanee assembled at the railroad station. Lincoln’s campaigning in the area was preceded by U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas, who spoke both in Toulon and in Kewanee at Cutter Hall on October 26, 1858.