Lincoln The Railsplitter Candidate - Decatur, IL
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 39° 50.526 W 088° 57.267
16S E 332779 N 4412059
A marker describing the origin of the "railsplitter" moniker for Abe during his Presidential campaign. Another of the Looking for Lincoln series.
Waymark Code: WMCEMV
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 08/29/2011
Views: 2
Summary of the sign text - During the (nearby) Republican State Convention of 1860, delegates carried in fence rails along with a banner that read "Abraham Lincoln, The Rail Candidate for President in 1860, Two rails from a lot of 3,000 made in 1830 by John Hanks and Abe Lincoln whose father was the first pioneer in Macon County." Lincoln commented: "I cannot say if I made those rails or not, but I am quite sure that I have made a great many just as good!"
Abraham Lincoln always knew the right thing to say!
There is more to read when you visit the marker.
The Looking for Lincoln series comprises a total of 220 of these exhibits in 47 Illinois communities to help them more vividly tell their own unique Lincoln story. There are fifteen of these in Decatur, placed in 2009. See (
visit link) for a map of all of Decatur’s Looking for Lincoln markers.
From a City of Decatur newsrelease at (
visit link)
“Few people know that Decatur has more Lincoln history than any other city in Illinois outside Springfield. Mr. Lincoln lived in Macon County when he first came to Illinois, practiced law, made his first political speech and was first nominated for President in Decatur and the surrounding area, among other things.”
Decatur abounds in Lincoln and other historical markers and monuments.