Elijah Parish Lovejoy – Alton, IL - Illinois Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

This historical marker is appropriately placed on the corner of College Avenue Presbyterian Church. The text reads:

Elijah Parish Lovejoy was the first pastor of Upper Alton Presbyterian Church, now College Avenue Presbyterian Church. A minister, teacher, newspaper editor, and martyr to the free speech and abolition of slavery, he was fatally shot on Nov. 7, 1837 defending his printing press from an angry pro-slavery mob. His death attracted national attention, including that of young lawyer Abraham Lincoln, who two months later spoke against “Mob Law” as contrary to the “Fabric of Freedom.” In 1863, twenty two years later, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in the presence of Elijah’s brother, Owen, a senator from Illinois.

Sponsored by College Avenue Presbyterian Church and the Illinois State Historical Society. November 1012.

County: Madison Historical Society: Illinois State Historical Society Dedication Date: November 2012 Location: At the College Avenue Presbyterian Church Website: Not listed

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