Humorous Moments

One day, a farm boy sat on the rascal bench outside the Barnett Tavern.  On horseback, Lincoln approached the inn and inquired about accommodations.  A mischievous boy hurried over to kindly greet Lincoln and offered to get the innkeeper, but he warned Lincoln that the man was nearly deaf.  So, as a courtesy, Lincoln would have to speak up when he brought the innkeeper out.  When the boy returned with the proprietor, Lincoln greeted Mr. Barnett loudly.  In turn, Barnett also spoke in a loud voice, for the boy had told Barnett that Lincoln was hard of hearing.  Thus, the conversation continued until Lincoln asked Barnett why he was hollering and informed him that he was not deaf.  The innkeeper replied that he was not hard of hearing either.  It was not until then that the two men realized the boy had fooled them, and they shared a good laugh...

Wilson Allen was suing the Illinois Central Railroad for "cutting a ditch causing water to back up on Allen's (rural) property."  Lincoln was defending the railroad.  Knowing Allen was in town, Lincoln took the opportunity of Allen's absence from home and investigated.  Lincoln walked to Allen's residence and observed water being carried from the ditch and Mrs. Allen doing laundry in the same.  Lincoln then approached and asked for a drink of water, which Mrs. Allen drew from the ditch, apologizing that the well was dry...

Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibits tell the stories of Lincoln’s life and times in Illinois.  Each wayside exhibit tells a unique Lincoln story and a local story.  Many of the waysides share little known stories about Lincoln and the individuals he interacted with.  There are over 260 Looking for Lincoln waysides in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.    

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