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Current News
Lots of Lincoln Activities at the 2023 Illinois State Fair
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Looking for Lincoln is proud to bring our 16th president to the Illinois State Fair again in 2023, along with other Lincoln-era activities on the lawn of the Illinois Building near the main gate.
Looking for Lincoln on NPR
Saturday, February 18, 2023
NPR Illinois and Looking for Lincoln are joining forces all week long, Feb 20-24, 2023 to tell a handful of the lesser-known stories of early Illinois.
Bronzeville-Black Metropolis is Illinois' newst National Heritage Area
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Congratulations to Bronzeville-Black Metropolis for becoming Illinois’ newest National Heritage Area. Welcome to the NPS family!
Upcoming Events
Water Under the Bridge Abraham Lincoln and the Effie Afton Case
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
The Effie Afton Case (Hurd v. Rock Island Bridge Co.) is one of Lincoln’s most famous cases. Pitting the established river interests of St. Louis versus the burgeoning railroad interests of Chicago, the case has traditionally emphasized Lincoln’s support of the railroad and new technologies. Recent scholarship shows that might not be the case. Join John Lupton and Dr. Samuel Wheeler from the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission to discuss what happened when the Effie Afton crashed into the first railroad bridge to span the Mississippi River at Rock Island.
John Lupton is the Executive Director of the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission. Samuel Wheeler is the Director of History Programs for the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission.
This program will livestream on Looking for Lincoln's Facebook page and YouTube Channel. The event is FREE.
Regional Highlight
In 1842, Dr. Richard Eells was arrested and charged with harboring and secreting a fugitive slave, and fined $400 by Judge Stephen Douglas. He then lost in the Illinois Supreme Court. The case was later heard by the US Supreme Court, after Eell's death, which also upheld the ruling. Eells estate was represented by Salmon P. Chase and William Seward future secretaries of treasury and state in the Lincoln administration.