Looking for Lincoln

Grand Old-Fashioned Barbecue Watch the Looking for Lincoln video on the Grand Old-Fashioned Barbecue at the link here. Did you hear about the 1875 Barbecue held here? The event took place on the Atlanta Fairgrounds south of town, where African-Americans from Atlanta and the surrounding area hosted a huge barbecue to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Want to learn more? Check out the exhibit in the Atlanta Museum.
Atlanta Museum Atlantans considered Abraham Lincoln a friend and welcomed him to their community many times during his career as a lawyer and presidential candidate. Discover more about Lincoln’s connection to our community via the “Atlanta and Abraham Lincoln Collection” in the Atlanta Museum. Itching for a sneak peak? Check out Looking for Lincoln's video on the Lincoln Collection at the Atlanta Museum here. Website: Atlanta Public Library and Museum Hours: Seasonal (April-September), hours vary Address: 114 SE Arch Street Phone number: (217) 648-2112
Armington Hall Abraham Lincoln is reported to have practiced his Freeport Debate speech in Atlanta, during a stop to visit Richard Gill, the town’s founder. As told by Atlanta physician, Dr. George Angell, he and Gill overheard Lincoln in a room above Angell’s office, vigorously practicing for his upcoming debate with Stephen Douglas. The event was one of the last times Lincoln visited Atlanta alive. You can visit an interpretive exhibit in the Atlanta Library. Address: 102 SW Vine Street, the building is no longer there
Wide Awake Movement Atlanta’s “Wide Awake Movement”, one of the first established in the nation, included young men who united in support of Abraham Lincoln’s presidential campaign. The Wide-Awakes were known for their spirited, torchlight parades during which they carried banners such as the one shown on the “Wide Awake” marker found in front of Xenia Park. The original banner was sown by an Atlanta dentist and is now displayed in the Lincoln Heritage Museum in Lincoln, IL. A photocopy is in the Atlanta Museum.
Railroad As dawn broke on May 3, 1865, President Lincoln’s funeral train slowed through Atlanta on its way to Springfield, Illinois. Community members gathered near the tracks, as they said their goodbyes to their friend and President. Louisa Ewing Shores wrote a letter to her half-brother in the South describing the memorial arches erected over the train tracks, residents dressed in mourning, and the train’s slow procession through town. Her letter is on display at the Lincoln Heritage Museum in Lincoln.