William Jennings Bryan - Salem, IL
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 38.121 W 088° 56.715
16S E 330688 N 4278107
Thumb nail history of the man. State marker in a small park in town.
Waymark Code: WM188HQ
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 06/19/2023
Views: 0
ounty of marker: Marion County
Location of marker: Broadway Ave. & Boone St., W.J. Bryan Park, Salem
Marker Erected by: The Salem Historical-Patriotical Commission and The Illinois State Historical Society
Date Erected: 1962
Marker Text:
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
Lived in Salem, Illinois, from his birth, March 19, 1860, until 1875. A national figure after his "Cross of Gold" speech in 1896. Bryan was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for President in 1896, 1900, 1908, and served as Secretary of State, 1913-1915. He died in 1925 after the Scopes "Evolution" Trial.
William Jennings Bryan would visit his fiancé in Perry, IL (Pike County) who's father was the Presbyterian minister in the town. In 1896, he would walk around the church grounds practicing the speech. This would be the first time it was given anywhere. There is a stone marker there to identify the site. The church is still standing. If you want to geo-cach the marker: N 39° 47.083 W 090° 44.802.