Lincoln - Douglas marker - Monticello, IL
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 40° 00.450 W 088° 34.490
16T E 365584 N 4429777
A bronze tablet encased in a vertical stone wall surrounded by gravel and a low stone fence off the side of the road, drawing your attention to LINCOLN - DOUGLAS.
Waymark Code: WMCG1H
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 09/03/2011
Views: 3
Inscription:
Here on July 29, 1858
Abraham Lincoln
and Stephen A. Douglas
first agreed to meet in joint debate in
Illinois
Perhaps a bit of an exaggeration in that apparently they didn't actually agree to the debates here but did run into each other here after Lincoln gave a speech and agreed to meet later nearby.
From The Historical Marker Society of America entry:
(
visit link)
"Lincoln wrote Douglas on July 24, 1858, challenging him “to divide time and address the same audiences” during the campaign. The SENATOR suggested seven locations, adding, “I will confer with you at the earliest convenient opportunity in regard to the mode of conducting the debate, the times of meeting at the several places….” When it was learned that Douglas would speak in Monticello, July 29, 1858, Bryant (a merchant, banker, and civic leader who lived in nearby Bement) invited SENATOR and Mrs. Douglas to an overnight stay. The couples traveled to Monticello early on July 29, 1858. After a successful meeting, they returned to Bement. When the Bryant carriage was about one mile south of Monticello, they met a prairie schooner. Douglas remarked, “There comes Lincoln; I wish to speak to him a moment.” Douglas asked if he had received his letter. Lincoln replied favorably, asking where they might later confer. Bryant invited Lincoln to his home in Bement. After his speech in Monticello, Lincoln hurried to Bement. The meeting in Bryant’s parlor allowed Lincoln and Douglas to confer and agree on debate details."