All Things Lincoln

All Things Lincoln

HSQAC actively promotes Quincy’s many connections with Abraham Lincoln. Quincy has been designated as one of six Gateway Communities in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area (ALNHA), and the History Museum on the Square is poised to serve as Quincy’s ALNHA welcome center in the future.  

The Lincoln Gallery
Located in the HSQAC Visitors Center, 425 South 12th Street, 
the Lincoln Gallery houses the exhibit Quincy: The Lincoln Era

The display consists of numerous Lincoln-related artifacts, including assassination objects featured in the first special exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield in 2005 (Blood on the Moon). Additional items include a piece of the Lincoln family’s everyday china, a commission signed by Lincoln and objects from the Society’s Browning collection. Seventy-two photographs, paintings, lithographs and documents reproduced as illustrations comprise the remainder of the exhibit. 

The construction of the Lincoln Gallery was made possible by grants from the CFM Foundation and the Quincy Society of Fine Arts. The exhibit was supported by a grant from the Illinois Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.   

The Lincoln Gallery is a Looking for Lincoln site in the Abraham Lincoln Heritage Area. It preserves the Society’s Lincoln-related artifacts while making them accessible to the public. Heat, humidity and light levels are precisely controlled to protect the objects for future generations.  

A visit to the Lincoln Gallery is included on the tour of the Governor John Wood Mansion. A tour of The Lincoln Gallery may also be arranged separately by contacting the HSQAC office at 217-222-1835. 

  • Click Here for a List of Displays
    • Early Friends and Influences
    • Growth of the Republican Party Leads Lincoln to Quincy
    • Lincoln and Douglas Debate in Quincy
    • The Road to the White House
    • Political Patronage/Quincyans at the White House
    • Quincy Mourns the Death of Lincoln.

History Museum on the Square Lincoln-Era Exhibits

Many of the permanent exhibits in the History Museum pertain to the life and times of Abraham Lincoln, and the Quincy: the Lincoln Era video may be viewed in the micro-theater. In the future, the museum will function as Quincy’s welcome center for the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. 

The History Museum on the Square Lincoln-Era Exhibits are located at: 332 Maine


Lincoln-Douglas Debate Site

Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas campaigned in 1858 to become a United States Senator from Illinois. They agreed upon a series of seven debates in different parts of the state, the sixth of which was held in Quincy. The Sesquicentennial Plaza commemorates the Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Washington Park and was rededicated by the community and Quincy’s Lincoln Bicentennial Commission in 2008. 

Sesquicentennial Plaza design elements:
• A bas relief sculpture by renowned artist Lorado Taft. 

• Two Looking for Lincoln storyboards providing historical context of the debate.

• A concrete plaza featuring an 1858 map of the United States and an Illinois flag.

• A low limestone wall flanking the plaza which features six pairs of points/counterpoints from the debate.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate Interpretive Center

The Center was an undertaking of the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition and the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. It is located across the street from the debate site and was dedicated in October 2009 as a lasting legacy to the sixth debate and to commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s place in Quincy’s history.  

A major feature of the Center, The Turning Point Exhibit, explains why the debate was so important and how it affected United States history. The eight-sided kiosk tells the story of the sixth debate and emphasizes its importance in defining the morality of slavery and catapulting Abraham Lincoln to national attention.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate Interpretive Center is located at:
128 North 5th Street

  • Click Here for a List of Displays
    • A Slave Nation
    • The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
    • Images of Lincoln and Douglas through the years
    • Lincoln Heritage Trail
    • 1837 Adams County Courthouse
    • Orville & Eliza Browning
    • Bird's Eye View of Quincy 

Other Locations of Interest

Dr. Richard Eells House - 415 Jersey

The Dr. Richard Eells’ House was built in the 1835 in the Federal/Greek Revival style and was partially remodeled in the Italianate style during the middle of the 19th century. Because of this, it shows an attractive blending of 19th century domestic architectural styles. The house was a stop on the Underground Railroad and is recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and National Parks Service, as one of the forty-two most important Underground Railroad sites deserving national recognition and support. 

Lincoln-Era Log Cabin Village

The Village consists of seven original cabins located on Quinsippi Island and built in the 1800’s, including the 1850 Clat Adams Log Cabin dedicated to Adams, who was a riverboat captain and storekeeper in Quincy. Some of the cabins have been refurbished and professionally restored by the Friends of the Log Cabins group.

Woodland Cemetery

Woodland Cemetery is a majestic Victorian cemetery with rolling terrain, curvilinear drives, mature trees and elaborate funerary monuments which overlooks the Mississippi River. Many of Lincoln’s Quincy friends are buried there as well as John Wood; Sarah Denman, a founder of Blessing Hospital; and Brigadier General Henry Root Hill, World War I hero.

Woodland Cemetery is located at: 1020 South 5th Street

Looking For Lincoln Wayside Markers

Historical information markers related to Quincy's Lincoln story are located at 18 sites. The Looking for Lincoln Wayside Exhibits provide details about events, local people, and environment that contributed to Lincoln's Quincy history. Click the images to enlarge.
Download PDF of Wayside Markers

Lincoln in the District Festival

Visitors will enjoy living history re-enactments and interact with Lincoln himself. 

Featured musical entertainment, activities, and demonstrations will capture the spirit of Lincoln’s life and times. Walk in Lincoln's footsteps and experience demonstrations of rail splitting, period crafts, vintage baseball, and children's activities, including a pioneer school house and Lincoln-related arts and crafts.

The annual event is held on the first Saturday in May.

lincoln in district website on computer

Organizations Working to Preserve, Interpret and 
Promote the Lincoln Legacy

Abriham lincoln national heritage area logo

Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area (ALNHA)

The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, located in 43 counties in central Illinois, is a nationally significant network of sites working to preserve, interpret and promote the heritage and culture of the area in the context of Lincoln’s life and times while improving the life for residents. The ALNHA was enacted by the Congress and signed by the President on May 10, 2008. The legislation designates the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition, a non-profit 501c3 corporation, to manage the national heritage area. Both the coalition and national heritage area cover the same area and share the same mission.  VISIT SITE
looking for lincoln heritage coalition logo

Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition (LFLHC)  

The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition is a consortium of Illinois communities and sites that share the legacy of Abraham Lincoln. It is a not-for- profit organization dedicated to working collaboratively with local, state and national partners across the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area to tell the stories of Lincoln’s life and times, to provide first class experiences for visitors and economic opportunities for communities, and to improve the quality of life for residents. The LFLHC staff works with LFL working groups to provide the tools and resources needed to tell each community’s Lincoln story and promote economic development.  VISIT SITE
quincy;s lincoln legacy logo

Quincy’s Lincoln Legacy (QLL)  

Quincy’s Lincoln Legacy is a Looking for Lincoln working group, a LFL partner, and Quincy’s voice in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. A LFL working group is the local heart of the ALNHA and includes a range of stakeholders from the community. QLL is composed of representatives of Quincy sites related to the life and times of Abraham Lincoln, community organizations, and the City of Quincy as well as other interested individuals. Our LFL working group implements ALNHA initiatives, programs and projects within our community, and QLL members are ambassadors for the ALNHA. While QLL undertakes local endeavors, its goals align with the goals of the ALNHA.
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