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Abraham Lincoln's Philadelphia Connection
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| The first published biography of Abraham Lincoln was printed in this building, on Market Street in West Chester across from the Chester County Courthouse in February 1860. The biography served to introduce Americans to the man who went on to become the nation’s 16th president and lead the Union through the dark years of the American Civil War. (John Rossomando/The Bulletin) |
By Bruce Mowday & Colin Hanna, For the Bulletin
Philadelphia and its suburbs, especially Chester County, enthusiastically joins the rest of the nation in celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, one of the foremost statesmen and Presidents in the history of United States. However, few locals know how the region played an integral part in Lincoln’s election and administration.
In 1860, when Lincoln became the Republican presidential candidate, few outside of Illinois knew anything about him.
“There are thousands who do not yet know Abraham Lincoln,” Horace Greeley of The New York Times commented. Greeley then called for a biography to be written.
Lincoln heeded Greeley’s advice and penned some notes on his early life. Those notes, considerably expanded upon by biographer Jesse Fell, became the first biography made for an election campaign, a candidate promotion technique that is commonplace today. It found its way to West Chester and on Feb. 11, 1860, the printing of Lincoln’s campaign biography was underwritten by Joseph Lewis at the print shop at 28 West Market St. in West Chester. At the time the building was home to the Chester County Times newspaper. Lewis later became Lincoln’s Commissioner of Internal Revenue. Now the distinctive building, constructed in the 1830s, is known as the Lincoln Building and is home to the Chester County Community Foundation and the Lincoln Room, a coffee and tea shop. It sits directly across the street from Chester County’s historic Courthouse and Annex and is one of our county seat’s most architecturally appealing nineteenth century buildings.
After his election, Lincoln took a grand train ride with several loops and spurs through the country on his way to Washington, D.C. Twice the train went through Philadelphia, then headed west through Chester County on its way to Harrisburg before retracing its route back to Philadelphia. Lincoln arrived in Philadelphia during the afternoon of Feb. 21, 1861, where he was greeted as President-elect by a cannon salute as the train reached the Kensington station. The portion of that train trip from Philadelphia to Washington became the inspiration for the trip that President-elect Barack Obama took on the Saturday before his inauguration, picking up Vice President-elect Joe Biden on his way through Wilmington.
On a subsequent visit to Philadelphia, Lincoln stayed at the Continental Hotel at Ninth and Chestnut streets, where citizens greeted him with fireworks, banners, bands and cheers. The next day Lincoln rode three blocks to Independence Hall and spoke to a crowd that was estimated to be 30,000 people.
Philadelphia and West Chester played important roles in a freedom of the press case that involved the Lincoln administration. West Chester was home to the Jeffersonian weekly newspaper, whose editor espoused anti-Lincoln views. One night a mob broke into the newspaper’s office on High Street and destroyed the press. Later, the Lincoln administration ordered the Jeffersonian closed for its anti-Lincoln views. In an important freedom of the press case heard in Philadelphia, the newspaper won the right to continue to publish.
Within blocks of the West Chester offices of the Jeffersonian and Chester County Times was the home of Maj. Seneca Grubb Willauer of the Union army at 106 South Church St. On the night of April 14, 1865, Maj. Willauer was on duty and helped chase John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln’s assassin, through the streets of Washington, D.C.
Lincoln’s presidency concluded with another train ride as his funeral train retraced its campaign route. On April 21, 1865, a nine-car funeral train decorated with Union flags began a 1,600 mile journey. Residents of Chester County wrote about standing along the tracks as the train slowly rolled past them.
In addition to visiting the exhibits at the Union League and Pennsylvania Historical Society celebrating the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth, historians and Lincoln buffs will be rewarded by a trip to West Chester’s Lincoln Building, the Lincoln Room and the Chester County Historical Society.
Bruce Mowday was a journalist and newspaper editor in Chester County for more than 20 years and is the author of ten books, most of them related to Chester County. His email address is Mowday@mowday.com
Colin Hanna was Chester County Commissioner from 1995 – 2003 and is now the President of Let Freedom Ring, a public policy non-profit located in West Chester. He may be reached at ColinHanna@LetFreedomRingUSA.com
In 1860, when Lincoln became the Republican presidential candidate, few outside of Illinois knew anything about him.
“There are thousands who do not yet know Abraham Lincoln,” Horace Greeley of The New York Times commented. Greeley then called for a biography to be written.
Lincoln heeded Greeley’s advice and penned some notes on his early life. Those notes, considerably expanded upon by biographer Jesse Fell, became the first biography made for an election campaign, a candidate promotion technique that is commonplace today. It found its way to West Chester and on Feb. 11, 1860, the printing of Lincoln’s campaign biography was underwritten by Joseph Lewis at the print shop at 28 West Market St. in West Chester. At the time the building was home to the Chester County Times newspaper. Lewis later became Lincoln’s Commissioner of Internal Revenue. Now the distinctive building, constructed in the 1830s, is known as the Lincoln Building and is home to the Chester County Community Foundation and the Lincoln Room, a coffee and tea shop. It sits directly across the street from Chester County’s historic Courthouse and Annex and is one of our county seat’s most architecturally appealing nineteenth century buildings.
After his election, Lincoln took a grand train ride with several loops and spurs through the country on his way to Washington, D.C. Twice the train went through Philadelphia, then headed west through Chester County on its way to Harrisburg before retracing its route back to Philadelphia. Lincoln arrived in Philadelphia during the afternoon of Feb. 21, 1861, where he was greeted as President-elect by a cannon salute as the train reached the Kensington station. The portion of that train trip from Philadelphia to Washington became the inspiration for the trip that President-elect Barack Obama took on the Saturday before his inauguration, picking up Vice President-elect Joe Biden on his way through Wilmington.
On a subsequent visit to Philadelphia, Lincoln stayed at the Continental Hotel at Ninth and Chestnut streets, where citizens greeted him with fireworks, banners, bands and cheers. The next day Lincoln rode three blocks to Independence Hall and spoke to a crowd that was estimated to be 30,000 people.
Philadelphia and West Chester played important roles in a freedom of the press case that involved the Lincoln administration. West Chester was home to the Jeffersonian weekly newspaper, whose editor espoused anti-Lincoln views. One night a mob broke into the newspaper’s office on High Street and destroyed the press. Later, the Lincoln administration ordered the Jeffersonian closed for its anti-Lincoln views. In an important freedom of the press case heard in Philadelphia, the newspaper won the right to continue to publish.
Within blocks of the West Chester offices of the Jeffersonian and Chester County Times was the home of Maj. Seneca Grubb Willauer of the Union army at 106 South Church St. On the night of April 14, 1865, Maj. Willauer was on duty and helped chase John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln’s assassin, through the streets of Washington, D.C.
Lincoln’s presidency concluded with another train ride as his funeral train retraced its campaign route. On April 21, 1865, a nine-car funeral train decorated with Union flags began a 1,600 mile journey. Residents of Chester County wrote about standing along the tracks as the train slowly rolled past them.
In addition to visiting the exhibits at the Union League and Pennsylvania Historical Society celebrating the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth, historians and Lincoln buffs will be rewarded by a trip to West Chester’s Lincoln Building, the Lincoln Room and the Chester County Historical Society.
Bruce Mowday was a journalist and newspaper editor in Chester County for more than 20 years and is the author of ten books, most of them related to Chester County. His email address is Mowday@mowday.com
Colin Hanna was Chester County Commissioner from 1995 – 2003 and is now the President of Let Freedom Ring, a public policy non-profit located in West Chester. He may be reached at ColinHanna@LetFreedomRingUSA.com
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| The Lincoln Myths | Happy 200th, Mr. President |
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