Lincoln at Kelley's Tavern marker - St. Joseph, IL
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 40° 05.483 W 088° 02.945
16T E 410569 N 4438427
A Looking for Lincoln series marker, for one of Abraham Lincoln’s frequent stops - Joseph Kelley’s Tavern.
Waymark Code: WM93T3
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 06/24/2010
Views: 3
Inscription: Kelley’s Tavern was originally called Strong’s Inn after Cyrus Strong, who built a mud-mortar log cabin here in the 1830's. The inn at Strong’s Ford was a stop on the Bloomington or State Road from Danville west to Urbana. Kelley’s Inn was a stop for travelers on the westward migration - - and for local business. Joseph Kelley purchased the cabin from Strong in 1849, expanded it, and also provided a ferry across the Salt Fork. The four-room tavern standing at the spot was demolished in 1914.
From the late 1840's to 1859, attorney Abraham Lincoln traveled between Danville and Urbana, defending clients at the spring and fall sessions of the Eighth Judicial Circuit. The Bloomington Road, a dirt road between the county seats, had been in use for two decades. Taverns and inns on these muddy roads provided travelers a bed and a place to rest horses.
I wish the tavern was still there - after driving these backroads it would be nice to stop and have a cold one.
County: Champaign
Historical Society: The Village, Township and Citizens of St. Joseph.
Dedication Date: 2009
Location: Marker is on Homer Lake Road west of County Route 12, on the right when traveling west.
Website: [Web Link]
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