A fun way to Look for Lincoln in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area! The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area was designated by Congress to preserve and tell the story of Abraham Lincoln's life and times. Did you know that as a National Heritage Area we work in partnership with National Park Service? We work with Lincoln Home National Historic Site to tell the story of Lincoln's life in Illinois throughout the 43 counties of the National Heritage Area.
Explore the communities where Lincoln lived, worked, and traveled through the Passport to Your National Parks program in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. Our program allows you to collect cancellation stamps at specific sites in participating Looking for Lincoln Communities, all while learning more about our 16th President.
The Passport to Your National Parks program is a voluntary program that nearly all parks within the National Park Service (NPS) participate. You can purchase an official NPS Passport book at several sites and begin recording your visits to NPS sites by stamping your passport with a rubber cancellation stamp. The cancellations, similar to those received in an international passport, record the name of the passport community and the date it was visited. The stamps also provide a record of your adventures.
Visitor Note: Passport stamps are free to collect at each location. For venues with an entry fee, the stamp will be available prior to entering the venue. Of course, you may want to further your adventures and expand your journey while you're there. Feel free to call ahead if you have questions.
Download the ALNHA Passport Stamp Locations Brochure
Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Cancellation Stamp Locations
Passport Sites
Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau
200 Piasa St Alton, IL 62002
When visiting or driving through Alton, you must plan a stop at the Alton Visitor Center. The friendly staff can provide suggestions for activities and restaurants in the Great Rivers & Routes region. You can shop for souvenirs and pick up maps. Public restrooms also available.
The Alton Visitor Center also hosts a free eagle meet and greet every Saturday in January during the Alton Eagle Watching season.
Hayner Genealogy & Local History Library
401 State Street Alton Alton, Illinois 62002
The Hayner Public Library District provides a variety of genealogy-related services to support research efforts. Information from various states in addition to Illinois and other countries is available. The digitized newspaper collection is a wonderful resource for genealogy research. The lobby of the Hayner Genealogy and Local History Library contains an original piece of the printing press which was broken and thrown into the Mississippi River by an angry mob who destroyed the press and murdered Elijah P. Lovejoy in November, 1837. The yoke, which served as a framework for the press, is black metal and weighs half a ton. Lovejoy published newspapers in St. Louis and Alton that advocated the abolition of slavery.
Hidden Springs District- Shawnee National Forest
602 North First St., Route 45 North Vienna, Illinois 62995
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The Passport Stamp was orginally at the Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District Office in Jonesboro until it was closed.
Homer Lake Interpretive Center
2573 Homer Lake Road Homer, Illinois 61849
The Homer Lake Interpretive Center, located at Homer Lake Forest Preserve, features a variety of interactive exhibits, displays, live animals and a wildlife viewing area. The forest preserve offers fishing, boating, and a Nature Playscape as well. The Interpretive Center can stamp your National Parks passport too!
Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum
110 W Howard Street Pontiac, Illinois 61764
The Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum is the repository for thousands of pieces of historic memorabilia from the glory days of the Mother Road.
Come learn the history of Route 66 in Illinois, see images of the road's wonderful history, and hear a few great stories about life in America when Route 66 was the most important highway in the nation.
Jacksonville Convention and Visitors Bureau
310 East State Street Jacksonville, Illinois 62650
Jacksonville, Illinois is a community rich in historical treasures, with thriving arts, education, and culture, and all wrapped in Midwest hospitality. Centrally located between St. Louis and Chicago, and near Springfield, Jacksonville offers an excellent place to live, work, and visit.
To the first time visitor, Jacksonville is full of the unexpected. From their Civil War and Abraham Lincoln connections, to the modern businesses of today, the area offers something for everyone. There is a small-town friendliness mixed with a vibrancy from a richness of natural sites, intellectual institutions, and businesses.
Visitor information is available at the Jacksonville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at 310 East State Street in downtown Jacksonville. You can also call (217) 243-5678, or (800) 593-5678, if you have questions about planning your trip.
Joseph Smith Historic Site
865 Water St. Nauvoo, Illinois 62354
Explore Joseph & Emma Smith’s Nauvoo. Guided tours begin in the Visitor Center, and include the Homestead, Mansion House, Red Brick Store, and the Smith Family Cemetery.
Kibbe Hancock Heritage Museum
306 Walnut St. Carthage, Illinois 62321
The Kibbe Museum is located in Carthage, Illinois and houses a collection of artifacts relating to the history of Hancock County and western Illinois. In addition, the museum also recently acquired the former collection of the Illinois Funeral Director’s Funeral Customs Museum. This world-class collection documents the material and social history of the mortuary profession and American funeral customs.
Museum exhibits cover the varied aspects of life in western Illinois from the early frontier days through the early 20th century. Our approach to exhibit design permits closer viewing of most artifacts than you will normally experience in other museums.
Lincoln Depot
930 E. Monroe St. Springfield, Illinois 62701
Restored 1852 train depot, from which President-Elect Abraham Lincoln departed for Washington D.C. on February 11, 1861. Lincoln gave one of his most memorable speeches from the back of a train at this location.
When Lincoln left his hometown as president-elect, he paid an unforgettable tribute to his friends and neighbors known today as the Farewell Address. Lincoln gave these remarks as he boarded a special inaugural train at the Great Western Railroad Depot. Located just two blocks from the Lincoln Home.
The Depot is also home to a wayside exhibit that helps interpret the important activities that happened at this location. View over 40 outdoor interpretive exhibits placed throughout the downtown area to experience Springfield as Abraham Lincoln knew it. Each exhibit is intended to capture a moment in time for Lincoln and how he was affected by the people, places and events he encountered in his hometown. Each story is accompanied by graphics or photographs and a medallion that is symbolic of that particular story. Visitors are encouraged to collect rubbings of each medallion.
Lincoln Heritage Museum
1115 Nicholson Rd Lincoln, Illinois 62656
Located on the campus of the only college named for Lincoln in his lifetime, the Lincoln Heritage Museum exhibits a rare and valuable collection of artifacts that tell the story of the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. The museum houses many rare Lincoln artifacts, including an 1860 campaign poster, a lock of his hair, Mary Lincoln's jewelry and Tad Lincoln's rocking chair.