Teetotaler, Abraham Lincoln of the Long Nine, Really Enjoyed a Good Party.

A notable shindig took place in Vandalia on February 28, 1837. Vandalia had been the state capital since 1819, but it never really worked very well. It was too small, too hard to get to, and some thought it was too far south in a state that was growing rapidly to the north and west.

Among these detractors were the "Long Nine,"[1] a group of legislators from Springfield. Called the Long Nine because of their abnormal height, their main objective in the 1837 legislative session was to bring forth legislation to move the capital to Springfield.

Abraham Lincoln was among the Long Nine, and he was the de facto floor leader of the Whigs in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Abraham Lincoln toasts the legislative win. Seven of the Long Nine are present.

After the February 28th vote, the victorious Long Nine immediately staged a celebration at Ebenezer Capps' tavern, near the statehouse, and invited the entire legislature. Most of the members came and partook generously of free champagne, cigars, oysters, and other delights. The bill for the celebration was paid for by the wealthy Ninian W. Edwards.

Supporters of Vandalia attempted on several occasions to reverse the February 1837 vote. The last such effort was a meeting held in Vandalia in July of 1838.

There was long speculation that the support for the move was tied in with an internal improvements scheme that would benefit Springfield. Some have also accused Lincoln and the Long Nine of "logrolling[2]." The vote on the removal of the capital no doubt involved the usual horse-trading and political wrangling. However, most historians agree that it did not involve any illegal or improper acts.

The bill for the party was $223.50 ($5,330 today), and the bottles of champagne would be $46 each today.

Bill for the affair.

To be fair, there was a reason to celebrate. Springfield had bested Alton and Jacksonville, contenders for a new location for the state capital, and the Whigs scored a major political victory in the process.

Colonel Matthew Rogers' General Store was also used as the Athens, Illinois Post Office. Surrounding the building are friends of Abraham Lincoln. A flag is in the upper left window, where Representative Abraham Lincoln and the other Long Nine members attended the banquet on August 3, 1837.

When the Illinois General Assembly approved moving the state capital to Springfield, it prompting grateful citizens of Athens (pronounced locally as "A-thens") to honor the "Long Nine" members at a public banquet which was held on August 3rd on the second floor of this building, with about 100 people attending.

According to the Sangamo Journal, Lincoln led the group in a toast, saying, "Sangamon County will ever be true to her best interest and never more so than in reciprocating the good feeling of the citizens of Athens and neighborhood."

The good feelings somewhat diminished two years later, when the boundary of Sangamon County was re-drawn, leaving the town of Athens in the new Menard County. 

Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph.D. 

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[1] The delegation from Sangamon County for the 1836-1837 Session of the legislature quickly became known as the “Long Nine.” The seven representatives and two senators were all six feet or taller. Five were lawyers, three were farmers, and one was an innkeeper. Seven were originally from the South and two from the North.

The representatives included: Abe Lincoln who at age twenty-seven was the youngest of the group; John Dawson, the oldest at age forty-five; William F. Elkin who was forty-four; Ninian W. Edwards the aristocratic son of the former Territorial Governor Ninian Edwards who was twenty-nine; Andrew McCormick, age thirty-five, who weighed almost three hundred pounds; Daniel Stone who was a college-educated lawyer, a native of Vermont and a former Ohio legislator; and Robert L. Wilson, thirty-one, who was a one-term member of the legislature. The senators were: Job Fletcher and a resident of Sangamon County since 1819 and Archer G. Herndon, a businessman and the father of William Herndon, who later became Lincoln’s law partner.

[2] Logrolling is the trading of favors, or "quid pro quo," such as vote trading by legislative members to obtain passage of actions of interest to each legislative member. 

In Illinois, the Underground Railroad began in Cairo (at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers), Illinois' southern most point.

This house, which stands on Nashville Road between Oakdale, Illinois and Coulterville, Illinois in Washington County was a stop on the Underground Railroad... or maybe it wasn't... or it might have been, but we just cannot be completely sure. In studying the past, one must prepare oneself to accept ambiguity in the face of a lack of solid evidence.

The John Hood House - a Stop on the Underground Railroad.

What we do know about this house is that it was built in 1843 by a man named John Hood.

John Hood belonged to a Presbyterian movement referred to as the Covenanters. Originally hailing from Scotland, the Covenanters came to North America beginning in the early 18th century. There were settlements of Covenanters in northeastern Randolph County (near Sparta, Illinois) and in Washington County. The Covenanters strenuously opposed slavery and often aided escaped slaves on their journey.

Of the Underground Railroad routes in Illinois, there was one that passed through Washington County. Starting in Chester in Randolph County (on the Mississippi River), the route traveled northeast through Randolph, Washington, and Marion Counties.

John Hood's house would have been on this route. So, what can be said of its connection to the Underground Railroad? It is likely, even very likely, that John Hood and his family sheltered slaves in their house as they made the exciting yet dangerous journey to freedom.

Primary evidence related to the Underground Railroad is difficult because the activity of the former slaves and "conductors" was at the time illegal. The stories of the route to freedom often cross the line between history and folklore. Still, this does not lessen the impact of sites like the Hood House. It likely had its role to play in the movement of formerly enslaved people to the north during the 19th century.

THE ILLINOIS UNDERGROUND RAILROAD EXPLAINED
The Underground Railroad was a system designed to assist those held in bondage to escape slavery.

Four Generations of Slaves.

It was not a single route, but a multitude of routes from the southern states to Canada. Though caves and other underground places were sometimes used as hiding places, the Underground Railroad was not underground. It was not a railroad either. Some escapees used railroads as part of their transportation north, although wagons, closed carriages, boats, and on foot were more common.

The origin of the term Underground Railroad cannot be precisely determined, but by the 1830’s the term was used in reference to runaways and the network, which aided their escape. Abolitionists and friends of human liberty operated the Underground Railroad. Stations, usually homes of abolitionists, were safe places where the escaped slaves could rest. Operators and conductors were people who helped the escapees to the next station. These stations were dangerous to the operators and conductors because the fugitives along the Underground Railroad were considered property in the South and contraband in the North.

While most runaways began their journey unaided and many completed their self-emancipation without assistance, each decade in which slavery was legal increased the network and persons willing to give aid to the runaway. With the Underground Railroad’s success, came more restrictive laws on slaves in the south and free persons of color everywhere. To slow the tide of runways, southern states relied on a system of patrols and slave catchers. When these tactics failed, slave owners would use advertisements and rewards to catch runaways.

Illinois played an important part of the Underground Railroad system. Illinois went further south than any other free state and bordered two slave states, Missouri and Kentucky. Illinois’ rivers also played an important role, slaves would have to cross either the Mississippi or Ohio rivers to enter Illinois. Rivers were a vital avenue north to Chicago and the Great Lakes.

In Illinois, the Underground Railroad contained liberty lines; two known lines began in Southern Illinois. One point was at Cairo in Alexander County and the other at Chester in Randolph County. These two lines merged at Centralia and extended north through Vandalia, Pena, Decatur, Bloomington, Joliet, and into Chicago. Another line began in Alton and went up the Illinois River to Chicago.

Once they reached Chicago, they boarded a boat to Canada, the "Promised Land." The Illinois Anti-slavery Society was organized in 1837 and printed papers pleading their cause. One of the best known was Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, who operated the Alton Observer.

The public became incensed with Lovejoy and his anti-slavery writings and destroyed his press. He continued to order new presses to print his paper. The next two were destroyed and thrown into the Mississippi River.

Another one of Lovejoy's printing presses smashed.

His friends begged him to stop because they feared for his life. The fourth printing press purchased by Lovejoy was hidden in a warehouse. The pro-slavery men attacked the warehouse killing Lovejoy.

Although these actions may have frightened abolitionists and escaping slaves, they did not stop their commitment to freedom. One of the most important aspects of the Underground Railroad is the number of attempted and successful escapes. The manner in which it consistently exposed the grim realities of slavery and that it refuted the claim that African Americans could not act or organize on their own behalf does not measure its importance. It also encouraged men and women of both races to set aside assumptions about the other race and to work together on issues of mutual concern.

Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph.D.