Abraham Lincoln and Civil War Peoria
Abraham Lincoln’s first known visit to Peoria was in July of 1832. He was
23 yrs. old and passed by Peoria on his return to New Salem after being
discharged as a soldier in the Black Hawk War. His traveling companion was
George W. Harrison. They were discharged on July 10th and were in Peoria
approximately a week later. They were walking because their horses had
been stolen. They purchased a canoe and paddled first to Pekin and then on to
Havana. They sold the canoe and Lincoln walked the rest of the way home to
New Salem.
The old railroad depot once stood at Water and Elm streets. On April 23,
1861, the first volunteers from Peoria left for the Civil War. They were
members of Capt. C. E. Dennison’s Company A. They had 96 men in the unit.
They left by train for Springfield. Many were on hand to see them off. Three
colonels of the regiment – Thrush, Miles and Cromwell (all from Peoria) were
killed in action during the Civil War.
Some troops from Peoria left by steamboat. On June 10, 1861 many
gathered at the landing to watch the boys of the 17th Illinois regiment of
volunteer infantry leave for Alton and the Civil War battlefields.
On February 25, 1862 the 11th Illinois Cavalry, Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll’s
outfit, went off to war. They broke camp at Camp Lyon and left for St. Louis.
They traveled by horse . Many were happy to see them go as they led a
rousing life in Peoria . Quote the Daily Transcript, “Their departure is a
source of great relief to our citizens.”
Lincoln came to Peoria and spoke at a rally in the interest of William Henry
Harrison on February 14, 1840. Harrison was a Whig candidate for President.
Lincoln came by ferry to the foot of Franklin Street and from there a
procession marched to the 1836 Court House. They dined at the Clinton House
at Adams and Fulton Street. Peorians present at the dinner included John
Hamlin, Francis Voris, Joseph Frye, William F. Bryan, and Charles Balance.
The Courthouse Square has been the site of 3 of our 4 county courthouses.
The monument there is called Defense of the Flag. The sculptor is Frederick
Triebel. It is not the first Civil War monument to grace the square. An earlier
column with eagle atop was dedicated in 1866. This monument was moved to
the Jefferson Street front when the 1876 Courthouse was built. The present
monument was dedicated October 6, 1899. President McKinley attended.
President Lincoln would visit the earlier courthouse many times.
The bronze statue of Lincoln near the corner of Main and Jefferson is the
work of John McClarey and was dedicated October 14, 2001 to commemorate
Lincoln’s Peoria speech of October 16, 1854. Mr. Lincoln drew the line on the
extension of slavery with the Kansas-Nebraska Bill in his famous Peoria
speech.
Lincoln visited Peoria at least 17 times according to the Peoria Historical
Society.
Springdale Cemetery
Thomas Ford
Deceased: 1850
Governor of Illinois 1842-1846 Read More
William Hale
Deceased: 1859
Peoria's first mayor Read More
General Isaiah Stillman
Deceased: 1861
A general in the Black Hawk War Read More
Norman Purple
Deceased: 1863
Peoria attorney and judge Read More
Simeon Dewitt Drown
Deceased: 1873
Peoria's first historian; soldier in the War of 1812; printer
and publisher; completed enumeration for the first book
printed and bound in Peoria, entitled "The Peoria City
Directory for 1844." Read More
Charles Ballance
Deceased: 1874
Author of "History of Peoria" Read More
Isaac Underhill
Deceased: 1878
Known as the "Empire Builder." Read More
Anna Elizabeth Slough
Deceased: 1878
Ran the Union Hotel on Washington Street Read More
Rudolphus Rouse
Deceased: 1879
First full-time doctor in Peoria Read More
Captain William A. Hall
Deceased: 1881
One of the four original incorporators of Springdale
Cemetery Read More
Moses Pettengill
Deceased: 1883
Opened first hardware business in Peoria with Jacob Gale;
merchant; abolitionist; Underground Railroad station Read
More
Fred J. Soldan
Deceased: 1891
First Head Librarian of the Peoria Public Library. Read
More
Almiran S. Cole
Deceased: 1891
Built and operated Peoria's first distillery in 1844 Read
More
Mark Morrill Aiken
Deceased: 1892
"Uncle Mark, the Apostle of Liberty" Read More
Robert H. Avery
Deceased: 1892
Invented the Avery Cultivator Read More
Alois Zotz
Deceased: 1893
Established the Illinois Banner Read More
Gardiner Thurston Barker
Deceased: 1894
Served as Mayor of Peoria Read More
Josiah Fulton
Deceased: 1894
One of Peoria's first settlers Read More
Frank Hitchcock
Deceased: 1895
Sheriff of Peoria County Read More
Hervey Lightner
Deceased: 1896
The "Builder of Springdale Cemetery" Read More
Edward Easton
Deceased: 1901
Grain dealer and City Council member Read More
Captain Henry Detweiller
Deceased: 1903
Pioneer steamboat captain and Civil War Veteran Read
More
Martin Kingman
Deceased: 1904
Owner of the Kingman Plow Company Read More
John Comstock
Deceased: 1905
Successful real estate deler Read More
Lucie B. Tyng
Deceased: 1905
Woman's Christian Temperance Union president Read
More
Fred Block
Deceased: 1907
Successful merchant Read More
John Cleveland Proctor
Deceased: 1907
Builder of Cottage Hospital (renamed Proctor Hospital)
and Proctor Home Read More
Lydia Moss Bradley
Deceased: 1908
Founded and endowed Bradley Polytechnic Institute
(Bradley University) Read More
Captain John Hall
Deceased: 1909
Civil War veteran who participated in Sherman's March to
the Sea Read More
Mark M. Bassett
Deceased: 1910
Judge and Civil War veteran Read More
Octave Chanute
Deceased: 1910
Engineered the first rail bridge over the Illinois River Read
More
John Dickinson McClure
Deceased: 1911
Colonel in the 47th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War
Read More
Arthur Antcliff
Deceased: 1911
Entered the military at age 14 as drummer boy Read More
Lemon Hill Wiley
Deceased: 1912
Internationally renowned musician Read More
Horace G. Anderson
Deceased: 1912
School Inspector, City Council member and County
Supervisor Read More
Erastus Swift Willcox
Deceased: 1915
Librarian and author of the Free Library Law Read More
Jacob Schnellbacher
Deceased: 1921
Owner of Peoria Shoe Company Read More
Henry Means Pindell
Deceased: 1924
Founded the Peoria Herald Newspaper Read More
H.H. Cole
Deceased: 1925
Pioneer photographer Read More
Christian Buehler
Deceased: 1926
Prominent businessman who operated in the meat trade
Read More
Ida Van Sant
Deceased: 1936
Managed Van Sant Dental Parlour Read More
Hedley Waycott
Deceased: 1938
Internationally known artist; influenced generations of
Peoria artists with his local and regional landscape
paintings. Read More
Joseph Petarde
Deceased: 1942
Peoria's "Forgotten Sculptor" Read More
Julietta Ohl
Deceased: 1943
Operated a large bakery Read More
Ellen Galusha Smith
Deceased: 1945
Peoria landscape artist Read More
Jonathan Boyce Taylor
Deceased: 1956
Pitcher, coach and manager in the Negro Leagues Read
More
Jean Morron
Deceased: 1966
Philanthropist, civic leader and school teacher Read More
Mabel Northrup Morrill
Deceased: 1967
Founder of Peoria Players Read More
John Henry Gwynn, Jr.
Deceased: 1996
President of the Peoria chapter of the NAACP from 19611993 Read More
Romeo Benjamin Garrett
Deceased: 2000
Professor of Sociology at Bradley University Read More
Robert A. McCord
Deceased: 2007
Distinguished citizen, business leader and humanitarian
Read More
CONTACT US CEMETERY MAP DIRECTIONS SITE BY CONVERSE