Homepage of "Mr. Lincoln, Route 66, & Other
Highlights of Lincoln, IL"
Site Map
Testimonials
A Long-Range Plan to Brand the First Lincoln
Namesake City as the Second City of Abraham Lincoln Statues
The Abraham
Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration in Lincoln, Illinois
1.
Abraham Lincoln and the Historic Postville
Courthouse,
including a William Maxwell connection to the Postville Courthouse
2.
About Henry Ford and the Postville Courthouse,
the Story of the Postville Courthouse Replica,
Tantivy, & the Postville Park
Neighborhood in the
Route 66 Era
3.
The Rise of Abraham Lincoln and His History and
Heritage in His First Namesake Town,
also the founding of Lincoln College, the plot to steal Lincoln's
body, and memories of Lincoln College and the Rustic Tavern-Inn
4.
Introduction to the Social & Economic History of
Lincoln, Illinois,
including poetry by William Childress & commentary by Federal Judge
Bob Goebel & Illinois Appellate Court Judge Jim Knecht
5.
"Social Consciousness in William Maxwell's
Writings Based on Lincoln, Illinois" (an article published in the
Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, winter 2005-06)
5.a.
Peeking Behind the Wizard's Screen: William
Maxwell's Literary Art as Revealed by a Study of the Black Characters in
Billie Dyer and Other Stories
6.
Introduction to the Railroad & Route 66 Heritage
of Lincoln, Illinois
7.
The Living Railroad Heritage of Lincoln, Illinois:
on Track as a Symbol of the "Usable Past"
8.
Route 66 Overview Map of Lincoln with 42 Sites,
Descriptions, & Photos
9.
The Hensons of Business Route 66
10.
The Wilsons of Business
Route 66, including the Wilson Grocery & Shell
Station
11.
Route 66 Map & Photos Showing Lincoln Memorial
Park
(former Chautauqua site),
the Historic Cemeteries, & Nearby Sites
12.
Route 66 Map & Photos Showing Salt Creek &
Cemetery Hill,
including
the highway bridges, GM&O bridge, Madigan State Park, the old dam (with
photos & Leigh's memoir of "shooting the rapids" over the old dam), &
the Ernie Edwards' Pig-Hip Restaurant Museum in Broadwell
13.
The Historic Logan County Courthouse, Past &
Present
14.
Route 66 Map with 51 Sites in the Business &
Courthouse Square Historic District,
including locations of historical markers
(on the National Register of Historic Places)
15.
Vintage Scenes of the Business & Courthouse Square
Historic District
16.
The Foley House: A
Monument to Civic Leadership
(on the National Register of
Historic Places)
17.
Agriculture in
the Route 66 Era
18.
Arts & Entertainment Heritage,
including
the Lincoln Theatre Roy Rogers' Riders Club of the
1950s
19.
Business Heritage
20.
Cars, Trucks & Gas Stations of the Route 66 Era
21.
Churches, including the hometown
churches of Author William Maxwell & Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr
22.
Factories, Past and Present
23.
Food Stores of
the Route 66 Era
24.
Government
25.
Hospitals, Past and Present
26.
Hotels & Restaurants of the Railroad & Route 66
Eras
27.
Lincoln Developmental Center
(Lincoln State School & Colony in
the Route 66 era), plus
debunking the myth of
Lincoln, Illinois, choosing the Asylum over the University of Illinois
28.
Mining Coal, Limestone, & Sand & Gravel; Lincoln Lakes; & Utilities
29.
Museums & Parks, including the Lincoln College
Museum and its Abraham Lincoln Collection, plus the Heritage-in-Flight
Museum
30.
Neighborhoods
with Distinction
31.
News Media in the Route 66 Era
32.
The Odd Fellows' Children's Home
33.
Schools
34.
Memories of the 1900 Lincoln Community High School,
including Fred Blanford's dramatic account of the lost marble
fountain of youth
35.
A Tribute to the Historians and Advocates of
Lincoln, Illinois
36.
Watering Holes of the Route 66 Era
37.
The Historic 1953 Centennial Celebration of
Lincoln, Illinois
38.
The Festive 2003 Sesqui-centennial Celebration of
Lincoln, Illinois, including photos of LCHS Class of 1960
dignitaries & the Blanfords
39.
Why Did the State Police Raid Lincoln, Illinois,
on October 11, 1950?
40.
The Gambling Raids in Lincoln and Logan County,
Illinois,
During the Late Route 66 Era (1950-1960)
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Pages
in this section tell about Leigh Henson's Lincoln years, moving away,
revisits, and career:
About Lincoln, Illinois;
This Web Site; & Me
A Tribute to Lincolnite Edward Darold
Henson: World War II U.S. Army Veteran of the Battles for Normandy and
the Hedgerows; Brittany and Brest; and the Ardennes (Battle of the
Bulge)
For Remembrance, Understanding, & Fun: Lincoln
Community High School Mid-20th-Century Alums' Internet Community
(a Web site and
email exchange devoted to collaborative memoir and the sharing of photos
related to Lincoln, Illinois)
Leigh Henson's Pilgrimage to Lincoln, Illinois, on
July 12, 2001
Leigh Henson's
Review of Dr. Burkhardt's William Maxwell Biography
Leigh Henson's Review of Ernie Edwards' biography,
Pig-Hips on Route 66, by William Kaszynski
Leigh Henson's Review of Jan Schumacher's
Glimpses of Lincoln, Illinois
Teach Local Authors: Considering the Literature of
Lincoln, Illinois
Web Site About
Leigh Henson's Professional Life
__________
Pages
in this section are about the writing, memorabilia, and Web sites of
other Lincolnites:
A Tribute to Bill and Phyllis Stigall:
Exemplary Faculty of Lincoln College at Mid-Twentieth Century
A Tribute to the Krotzes of Lincoln, Illinois
A Tribute to Robert Wilson (LCHS '46): Author of
Young in Illinois, Movies Editor of December Magazine,
Friend and Colleague of December Press Publisher Curt Johnson, and
Correspondent with William Maxwell
Brad Dye (LCHS '60): His Lincoln, Illinois, Web
Site,
including photos of many churches
Dave Armbrust's Memorabilia of Lincoln, Illinois
J. Richard
(JR) Fikuart
(LCHS '65):
The
Fikuarts of Lincoln, Illinois, including their
connections to the William Maxwell family and three generations of
family fun at Lincoln Lakes
Jerry Gibson (LCHS '60): Lincoln, Illinois,
Memoirs & Other Stories
Dave Johnson (LCHS '56): His Web Site for the
Lincoln Community High School Class of 1956
Sportswriter David Kindred: Memoir of His
Grandmother Lena & Her West Side Tavern on Sangamon Street in the Route
66 Era
Judge Jim Knecht
(LCHS '62): Memoir and Short Story, "Other People's Money," Set in
Hickey's Billiards on Chicago Street in the Route 66 Era
William A. "Bill" Krueger (LCHS '52): Information
for His Books About Murders in Lincoln
Norm Schroeder (LCHS '60): Short Stories
Stan Stringer Writes About His Family, Mark
Holland, and Lincoln, Illinois
Thomas Walsh: Anecdotes Relating to This Legendary
Attorney from Lincoln by Attorney Fred Blanford & Judge Jim Knecht
Leon Zeter (LCHS '53): His Web Site for the
Lincoln Community High School Class of 1953,
including announcements of LCHS class reunions
(Post yours there.)
__________
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Highway Sign of
the Times:
1926-1960
The Route 66
Association of Illinois
The Illinois
State Historical Society
Illinois
Tourism Site:
Enjoy Illinois
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Internet Explorer is the only browser that shows this page the way it was
designed. Your computer's settings may alter the display.
April 24, 2004: Awarded "Best Web Site of the Year" by the Illinois State Historical
Society
"superior
achievement: serves as a model for the profession and reaches a greater
public"
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Marquee Lights of the Lincoln Theater, est. 1923, Lincoln, Illinois |
25.
Hospitals of the Past |
As explained
below, the first hospitals in Lincoln, Illinois, were the work of Catholic
and Protestant churches there.
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital
The former
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital (ALMH) on 8th Street in Lincoln, Illinois,
was a
non-denominational institution that had 66 beds
and served 17 communities in Logan County and eastern Mason County. It was affiliated with Memorial Health System of Springfield" (Lincoln/Logan
County Chamber of Commerce, Community
Profile & Membership Directory, p. 30).
Significant
facts about ALMH:
·
24-hour emergency service with physicians and nurses trained in
emergency medicine;
· Advanced Life Support
Paramedic Program, with helicopter transportation;
· A recent $1,500,000
renovation of emergency, radiology, laboratory and central registration;
· Non-emergency walk-in care, general
inpatient care, intermediate care, inpatient and outpatient surgery; and
· Various kinds of therapy, pain
management, and sports medicine. (Community Profile, p. 30). More
complete information is available at the ALMH Web site, address in Sources
Cited below.
25.1: Entrance to
Yesterday's Abraham
Lincoln Memorial Hospital
(Photo from
Lincoln/Logan County
Chamber of Commerce Community Profile & Membership Directory, p. 30.
Photo is courtesy of VillageProfile.com of Elgin, Illinois.)
25.2: Undated Picture
Postcard of ALMH
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St. John Evangelical Deaconess
Hospital (1902-1954)
ALMH was immediately preceded by the Evangelical Deaconess Hospital, which had been founded
in 1899 by the St. John Evangelical Church of Lincoln, Illinois. The address
of the Deaconess Hospital was 302--320 7th St., and that location was framed
by Walnut Street to the east, Pine Street to the west, and 8th Street to the
north. This
church formed the Saint John Evangelical Deaconess Society "to own
and operate the hospital" (Beaver, p. 69). In the early 1890s,
Reverend Hermann Schmidt, pastor of the St. John Church, persuaded his
congregation to support efforts to provide a house from which deaconesses (trained nurses) could work. Because of an outbreak of typhoid fever in
1898, the Deaconess Hospital Order of St. Louis sent two deaconesses to Lincoln to care for the typhoid fever patients, and this activity led the
local congregation to become interested in organizing a deaconess society
(Beaver, p. 69).
In 1902 when the Reverend Gustav Niebuhr moved to
Lincoln to become the minister of the St. John's United Church of Christ, he
also become the head administrator of the St. John Evangelical Deaconess
Hospital (Beaver, p. 69).
25.3: Colorized Picture
Postcard of Deaconess Home and Hospital
(undated)
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St. Clara's Hospital (1910-1962)
The other early hospital in Lincoln, Illinois, was St. Clara's Hospital, dedicated
in 1886 by Bishop Spalding of Peoria, Illinois (Stringer, p. 464). The
originator of this facility was Father Conrad Rotter, parish priest of St.
Mary's. An organizational meeting was held at the Logan County
Courthouse, and interest was sufficient enough to begin fund raising.
"The first move in this direction was the giving of an entertainment at
Gillett's Hall, under the auspices of the ladies of the City of Lincoln, at
which entertainment over $1,000 was realized as a nucleus for the necessary
funds for the proposed institution" (Stringer, p. 464). An order of
Sisters (unnamed in Stringer and Beaver) purchased land facing Maple Street
between Fifth and Sixth Street, where the yellow-brick facility was
constructed. Paul Beaver's Logan County History 1982 includes
nine paragraphs of history titled "St. Clara's Hospital, 1910-May 31, 1962"
(p. 69).
25.4:
Undated Picture Postcard of the 1886 St. Clara's Hospital
25.5: St. Clara's
Hospital, Corner of Sixth and Maple Streets in the 1960s
(Photo from Beaver, Logan County History 1982, p. 138)
The above photo shows the unusual silo-shaped fire escape and a 19th-Century
streetlight suspended by wires across the middle of the intersection.
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Sources
Cited Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital
Web site: http://www.almh.org/
Beaver, Paul. History of Logan County 1982.
Published by the Logan County Heritage Foundation. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1982.
Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce Community
Profile & Membership Directory, 1998. Photo courtesy of Village Profile.com,
Inc., 33 N. Geneva Street, Elgin, IL 60120. Please visit the Web site
of this remarkable company at
http://www.villageprofile.com.
Springfield, Illinois Memorial Hospital Web site
page on ALMH:
http://www.memorialmedical.com/almh.htm
Stringer, Lawrence B. History of Logan
County Illinois (1911). Reprinted by UNIGRAPHIC, INC., Evansville, IN: 1978.
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Email comments, corrections, questions, or suggestions.
Also please email me if this Web site helps you decide to visit Lincoln,
Illinois: DLHenson@missouristate.edu.
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"The Past Is But the
Prelude" |
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