973- 7L63 The Exhib- E5Cl432a it- Group, Century of Pro-

cop, i -2 gress, , ! 953-1933. LINCOLN ROOM UNIVERSITY OF LIBRARY

MEMORIAL

the Class of 1901

founded by HARLAN HOYT HORNER and HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER

The Abraham Lincoln Exhibit Group

Century of Progress

1833 to 1933 Chicago

Price 25c LINCOLN ROOM UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY

MEMORIAL

the Class of 1901

founded by HARLAN HOYT HORNER and HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER Re-enacting High- Lights in Life of the Great Emancipator Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865

— .

ABRAHAM LINCOLN Preceptor of a Century of Progress

LMOST a century and a quarter has passed since Illinois was his home state and then Chicago was, A the birth of Abraham Lincoln. after all, sort of an Austerlitz where political vic- tory in the form of the Republican nomination These years have witnessed the ascent of "honest was conferred upon him in 1860. Abe*', rail-splitter and circuit-riding lawyer, Con- gressman and War President from a secluded Ken- Also, as an interesting association, Chicago was tucky log cabin to an immortal and consecrated the home and burial-place of Lincoln's doughty place in the annals of the Republic. antagonist, Stephen A. Douglas, who lies buried under a monument only a short distance from the This is entirely fitting, for without the Great

present exhibit ( at 35th Street and the Illinois Emancipator and an undissolved Union it is a Central tracks) question whether or not we would be enjoying a The re-established buildings are as closely au- Century of Progress Exposition to-day. Without thentic, structurally the splendid administration of President Lincoln and historically, as possible. They are exact replicas (with one or excep- would our country have become a world power two tions) of original Lincoln buildings still standing. or a pair of minor republics? The log cabins are old ones which have been Historians can discuss this: but the fame of brought up from the Lincoln country downstate. ""honest Abe" is secure. They all date back to the early part of Lincoln's So it is singularly appropriate that this great life and are precisely like those Lincoln lived in Exposition celebrating a century of America's during his youth. progress, should commemorate Abraham Lincoln The Rutledge tavern departs somewhat from the by reestablishing some of those buildings that fig- original at New Salem and the Wigwam is, of ured prominently in his career. necessity, smaller than the original building; in

While Chicago cannot claim him as a native son, appearance, however, it is identical. LINCOLN S BIRTHPLACE NEAR HODGENSVILLE, KENTUCKY —

BUILDINGS mark strides in Lincoln s career

THIS, the first building in the Lincoln exhibit, is sinews and his sense of responsibility. No pam- an exact reproduction of the log cabin still pering for him though he was only a youngster. standing near Hodgenville, Ky., in which Abraham But with all of this, his early education despite Lincoln was born, February 12th, 1809. romantic myths to the contrary, was not entirely It is chiefly remarkable for its size—or lack of neglected. size. Inside there is scarcely room to change your For there were footloose privat-docents and men- mind, and the modern cosmopolite can hardly con- dicant pedagogues wandering about the backwoods ceive of living in such a congested space. But back who lingered here and there when subscriptions in those rough-and-tumble frontier days no one and tuition fees were offered to them and who much less a man of the soil like Thomas Lincoln, sometimes established temporary schools for back- allowed himself to be mollycoddled. Thomas woods children. Lincoln was the father of Abraham Lincoln and was the son of an early settler who came to the Two of these, a Trappist named Zachariah Riney "dark and bloody" ground of Kentucky with Dan- and a Caleb Hazel were the first to initiate young iel Boone. Lincoln in the razzle-dazzle of book larnin'.

While Abraham Lincoln was still a baby his There is no record of young Abes showing un- family moved to another cabin in the vicinity usual precosity in these exercises and most likely where thev were to stay until Abe was seven years he was the typical American Barefoot Boy more old. interested in swimming, playing injun and getting into mischief than tarrying in the academic groves. From the very beginning Lincoln knew the stern discipline and back-breaking toil of the wilder- Probably whenever he got the chance he was ness. Even hardly more than a baby countless cultivating that cpiality—quite marked later in life, chores were assigned to him that toughened his that Stevenson called "a large and genial idleness." INDIANA CABIN NEAR GENTRYVILLE, INDIANA Reproduction from old print INDIANA LOG CABIN ington which Lincoln left in the window one day where it was ruined by a rainstorm. In settlement Matrix of an immortal Lincoln hauled fodder two days for Mr. Crawford. soles. Thomas Lincoln had itching He was a All of which is a nice story and at least proves that horizon-chaser like all frontiersmen and empire- books were more highly esteemed in those days huilders. Thomas Lincoln liked to blaze the trail than they are to-day. and show the way for others; liked to fight toe-to- Living near the Ohio river gave Lincoln his first toe with hostile nature, but once the fight was real glimpse of the outside world. The horizons fairly well won and security assured he somehow on the river, the waters eddying to strange places, seemed to lose interest and was ready to move on. must have held a touch of drama for young Lin- So in 1816 the Lincoln family packed their be- coln. There were colorful people here, new im- longings in their plain wagon and struck out north- pressions, foils for his insistent curiosity that were ward toward the Indiana Territory. They crossed a liberal education in themselves. And, indeed, the Ohio river and finally settled, some distance he now grew rapidly both mentally and physically. back of the river, near the present town of Gentry- Before long he had made a reputation for him- ville. self with his muscular prowess and swift dexterity Here another log cabin was erected and an ex- with what we now term the "wise-crack." His wit, tensive clearing made in the virgin forest. Young which was later to hamstring more sophisticated Abe worked at this with a will and soon became statesmen, came from a natural intelligence quick- amazingly adept at tree-felling. ened by early contact with this vital, untamed And by now, as the new homestead settled down river life. He could sense the hurdy-gurdy life to a farm-routine, he was old enough to assist in outside the wilderness in the rushing river waters, the real man's work. He learned to plow, seed and the boats from above and below, the explosive harvest. He could swing a "gad" and handle a chinwagging of river characters. team with the best of them and frequently drove During the thirteen years in Indiana Lincoln through the rough forest paths to the mill, the had grown to a height of six feet three, very lanky store and the river landing or from the woods with but made of "cat-gut, raw-hide and whipcord, and a heavy draft. able to "lick his weight in wild cats." There were In the meantime he continued an irregular edu- few youths to dispute his physical or mental su- cation under local private teachers. One of these premacy. He was still relatively uneducated but was Andrew Crawford who, as the story has it. the Lincoln genius had but little concern with loaned Lincoln his copy of Weems Life of Wash- mere books. NEW SALEM STORE NEW SALEM STORE This jaunt to New Orleans was still another eye- opener to young Lincoln. The picturesque and A Business and Political Job dramatic city in the Delta stirred all his latent am- The nomadic Lincolns came to Illinois in 1830 bitions and upon the return to New Salem Abe and settled on a farm along the Sangamon river, was ready to enter a new phase of his life. Here were the mak- about ten miles from Decatur. His flat-boat employer opened a store in New luxurious farm, with the rich bottom ings of a Salem and hired Lincoln as clerk; and it was while assisted lands and all, so Thomas Lincoln and Abe he was in this tiny little river-bank store that by John Hanks, a distant relation of the first Mrs. Lincoln steps from the shadows and begins to take Lincoln, set to work on it. It was here that Lincoln definite form. won undying fame as a rail-splitter; according to Many pleasant legends and anecdotes linger John Hanks, Abe split almost three thousand rails about this period of Lincoln's life. We learn that for use as fence posts to mark off the new home- he was an expert wrestler, a sparkling wit, amusing stead. story-teller and an all 'round good fellow. But for some reason or other, prosperous as this At first a gang of New Salem hoodlums called seemed to be, Thomas Lincoln moved new home the Clary Grove Boys wanted to badger the new- a vear. spring of 1831 he set out on within In the comer but one day Lincoln took on their champion for Coles County, sixty or seventy miles eastward in a catch-as-catch-can wrestling match and routed the upper waters of the Kaskaskia and on Embar- him ignominiously. Whereupon the Clary Grove rass. But young Abe stayed behind; new vistas Boys gave three fraternal cheers for Abe and ac- were opening to him; there was more in the world cepted him as "one of the gang." than he had ever suspected. Later in the year Lincoln was appointed post- It was not long before a gentleman turned up master in New Salem but the pay was so beggarly who wanted hands for a flat-boat he was taking to that he was at times near despondency. During New Orleans. This gentleman was favorably im- his leisure hours he studied surveying from a bat- pressed with Lincoln and offered him a job which tered text-book on the subject, and this knowledge Abe was not slow in accepting. he was able to put to good use later on.

11 "^ LIBRARY .. UNIVERSITY 0F ILIWOtS THE WIGWAM Reproduction from u photograph of I860 1831-60 Anne Rutledge was a daughter of the New Salem Inn keeper 1835. The Laurels Come and died in During the years in the Legislature Lincoln's Now Lincoln was quite thoroughly divorced political influence gradually spread throughout the from his backwoods and farm experiences—men- State until he became the recognized leader of the tally at least; his appearance was still angular and Illinois Whig party and was referred to as the uncouth for all the splendid qualities it concealed, "Sangamon Chief." and he still wore homespun Kentucky jeans. It was Lincoln's friend John T. Stuart who per- But fashion-plates were not needed in New suaded him to study law and in 1836 Lincoln was Salem at that time and Abe's liberality, humor, licensed to practice. honesty and wit were winning new friends for him In 1837 he moved to Springfield and in 1842 every day. married Mary Todd by whom he had four chil- At this time he stepped out of civilian life to dren. campaign some months in pursuit of the war- In 1847 came a term in Congress, and after that painted Black Hawk. His comrades elected him five years of quiet law practice in and about a Captain and, when the belligerent Sacs and Pot- Springfield (1849-54). tawotamies were finally quelled, Lincoln returned He was instrumental in organizing the Repub- to New Salem a personage indeed. lican party which formallv adopted its platform He was immediately named as candidate for in 1856. the state Legislature but his political allegiance to In 1857 Lincoln made a dramatic speech in Henry Clay in a locality solid for Andrew Jackson Springfield, replying to a speech two weeks before was fatal to this maiden effort. by Stephen A. Douglas, in which the "Little Giant" But in 1834 his personal popularity had become had endorsed the Lecompton Constitution. so great that notwithstanding party affiliations, he This speech by Lincoln was brilliant and well- was sent to the Legislature where he was to serve timed, squarely facing the Slavery Question, and four consecutive terms until 1842. was directly responsible for the seven joint de- The much rhapsodized romance with Anne Rut- bates with Douglas the following year which ledge took place during these last New Salem days. brought Lincoln's name to national prominence.

13 INTERIOR OF "WIGWAM" IN 1860 Although Douglas was returned to the Senate When an expectant lull fell on the jamboree Lincoln was "made" politically, and two years a throaty announcer proclaimed the names of the later (1860) was a Republican candidate for the candidates. Presidency at the Republican National Convention William H. Seward, New York; Abraham Lin- in Chicago. THE WIGWAM coln, Illinois; William L. Dayton, New Jersey; Simon Cameron, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, Lincoln is Nominated and John McLean.

The original Wigwam stood at the corner of Seven names in all. Lake and Market Streets and was a hastily-built Seward and Lincoln were the popular favorites. clapboard tabernacle considerably larger than the the first ballot Mr. received replica shown in this exhibit. On Seward 173 votes, Mr. Lincoln 102, Mr. Cameron 50, Mr. Chase On May 12th, 1860, twelve thousand goggling, 49, Mr. Bates 43, Mr. Dayton 14, Mr. McLean 12 and panting and excited Republicans thronged inside 16 votes were scattered. to select the party nominee.

It was an emotional stampede. On the second ballot Lincoln drew up almost Men and women yelled, cheered and pounded. even and on the third received the necessary ma- Red, white and blue bunting was wound about jority when several Ohio delegates went over to every pillar and post in the building. Star spangled him to avert a deadlock. decorations everywhere; flags, banners, badges, Thus was the miracle achieved. The nomination screaming slogans. meant the Presidency, for Lincoln won in a land- The Republican party was new and unbaptised; slide the general election some months later. the world was watching on; its candidate must be It was a miracle, all of it. Lincoln's spectacular a paragon. There could be no mistake about that. rise from log cabin to the Presidency; above all The country faced a serious situation. his selection as executive just at this critical time Question: would they select the suave, veteran in our history when only the wisest counsel and New York politician William Seward or the ex- the most unflinching courage could hope to un- circuit riding lawyer from downstate—the strange, tangle a social and economic snarl unprecedented elongated Abraham Lincoln? in the annals of the nation.

15 EXHIBITS INSIDE THE WIGWAM This is the room in which Lincoln received news

No attempt has been made to reproduce the in- of his nomination. terior of the Wigwam as it actually appeared in Also, a large collection of Chicagoana with many 1860. In the original building the space was so unduplicated items. All phases of the social, broken up with balconies, platforms and stanch- political and economic history of Chicago from ions that it would be inconvenient for present pur- earliest days are represented. poses. Next to the Lake is the Anne Rutledge Tavern, In the southeastern corner of the is a Wigwam constructed of old logs, with an hospitable, pioneer replica of the parlor from Lincoln's Abraham interior where refreshments are served. home in Springfield, 111., which has been carefully reestablished, with appointments typically Victor- Along the east wall of the Wigwam is an inter- ian. esting assemblage of American antiques represent- ing many periods. In connection with this room is much Lincoln matter in the form of lithographs, letters, pictures, It includes furniture, glass, china, pewter, litho- documents, broadsides, photographs and other me- graphs, iron, utensils, paintings, fabrics and other mentoes. articles.

The builder wishes to acknowledge aid of the following for their sincere work in helping to create the Lincoln Memorial Group.

Lincoln National Life Insurance Co., Fort Wayne, Indiana Dr. L. A. Warren, Fort Wayne, Indiana A. Fletcher Marsh, Chicago Ho-Ho Shop, Chicago Carl Nilsson, Chicago

W. H. S. Lloyd Co., Chicago

L. A. Dicke

16 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We wish to thank the members of the Miami County Historical

Society of Peru, Indiana, for the loan of their Lincoln relics

Donor Donor Donor Rose E. Gallehan Rex Earlywine L. S. E. Edwards Martha J. Wright Joseph W. Tillett George Eby Chas. Statesman Ralph Nickelson John Fisher W. H. MeGrew S. M. Charters Joseph Stehelton Margaret and Martha M tllov, Samantha Wiese (Mrs.) L. S. E. Edwards Mrs. Mary Young Hal Henton Truman J. Hartzler Alhert Ault Glen Shively Mrs. A. J. Hunter Mrs. H. E. Nestleroad Frances Kling (Mrs.) Marion L. Myers Chas. Gerhart Ora E. Mote William C. Beecher James P. Binkerd Samuel P. Ellars Frances M. Clark William Austin Charles Schilling Alhert Wright William H. Bish Charles Miller Mr. Carfrae (Caroline Phelps Lewis Gustin Joseph Stehelton Hal C. Phelps Michael Murphy George Ehy

Lee Coppock J. M. Endicott James Miller Emil Schram W. H. Bailey Clarence A-.penwald Cora Mahley Noah Coppe Ford Wallick Miss Anna B. Rose William Stuher George Ehy Ulysses Shaf'er Henry S. Hammer Chas. Mullican Corwin W. Harding Pearl M. File William Kling Hal Maus Elmer Fite Eikenherry Upton Friend Ulysses R. Marlow Charles Keener Edgar Lewis Eli Bunton Walter W. Childers Mrs. Ira Eikenberry Amelia Spacht Hal C. Phelps C. D. Clingaman Alhert Rassner Mrs. Samantha Wiese Pleasant Bell Earl Collins Alhert P. Lucas Frank Wilson John and Eliza Ault Victor Whittenhurger Joseph Marhurger George Church C. C. Fike Cecil Jordan, M.l). Andrew Porter

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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA

973 7L63E5C432A C001 THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN EXHIBIT GROUP. CENTU

3 0112 031813725

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 973 7L63E5C432A C002 THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN EXHIBIT GROUP, CENTU

3 0112 031813733