DeSoto House Marker – Galena, IL
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 42° 24.874 W 090° 25.799
15T E 711462 N 4699006
Historical marker located on the exterior brick wall of the DeSoto House, where Abraham Lincoln once spoke from its balcony.
Waymark Code: WMHJT9
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 07/16/2013
Views: 9
Inscription: “DeSoto House. Opened in April 1855, the five-story 240 room DeSoto House was the largest and most luxurious hotel in the west. Abraham Lincoln spoke from its balcony in 1856 and Stephen A. Douglas in 1858. Ulysses S. Grant maintained his 1868 presidential campaign headquarters here. By 1880 Galena’s prosperity had faded and the hotel’s upper two stories were removed. –Erected by the Illinois State Historical Society, 1959.”
If you are lucky, you might see General Grant himself walking by - we were lucky.
Galena is a wonderful place to visit for its history, good food and quaint shops.
Location Type: Historic Marker
Property Type: Private
Date of Event: 1856
Location Notes:
230 Main Street, at its intersection with Green Street. It is mounted on the southeast corner of the DeSoto House Hotel.
URL for Additional Information: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Enjoy your visit, tell your story and post a picture.