Lincoln Buffs On the Loose in Chi-town

The July 17th Chicago Tribune had an article by Patrick T. Reardon "Land of Lincoln?!?! : On the 16th president's curious trail, with a guy who should know."

It was a humorous look at the way Americans celebrate Abraham Lincoln, whose bicentennial of his birth is coming up in 2009. Reardon went out with Andrew Ferguson, who has just written a new book called "Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America" which Reardon described as a "lively, thoughtful, fun travelogue through the many, and sometimes odd, ways that Americans celebrate the Rail-splitter."

Reardon said both he and Ferguson got hooked on Lincoln during the Civil War Centennial back in the 1960s. I was just becoming interested in the Civil War and the centennial celebration sealed the deal. There was Civil War stuff all over the place. Only, being from the South, my interest was in the Lost Cause. My dad had to explain that even though we lived in North Carolina, we didn't fight for the north.  (I was 7 years old at the time in 1958.)

Of course, now, I'm into the old roads, and the Lincoln Highway has to go down as the LONGEST memorial ever built to Lincoln, or for that matter, anybody.  And a highway Liz and I have driven a whole lot.

One place they didn't get to see was Lincoln Pest Services on North Avenue in Chicago. One quote I liked in the article was what Lincoln had to say of his Blackhawk War experiences when he said he never fought any Indians "but had a good many bloody battles with the mosquitoes."

Michael Tercha, a photographer accompanied them and seven pictures accompanied the article. There is a Lincoln Billiards sign at 5334 N. Lincoln Ave. Only the sign is written in Korean.

LINCOLN STATUES

LINCOLN SQUARE- Lawrence and Western avenues- by Avard Fairbanks and holding a book. That was Lincoln's way out of poverty. He read a lot of newspapers and in 1859 even bought one printed in German as he knew he wanted the German-American vote.

SENN PARK- Thorndale, Ridge, and Ashland avenues- by Charles Keck -without a beard- of all the Lincoln impersonators Ferguson knows, only one makes his living without a beard. Lincoln did not have a beard for 52 of his 56 years.

CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM- 1601 N. Clark Street- by Augustus Saint-Gaudens- supposedly Lincoln's face was changed to look a little more fierce, but still keeping the kindness. The clothes are a bit rumpled.

Other Chicago Lincoln Stuff

LINCOLN RESTAURANT at 4008 N. Lincoln Avenue with a great likeness on the sign.

FORMER SITE OF THE THAI LITTLE HOME CAFE at 4747 N. Kedzie Avenue- a little bar in the back had a foot tall reproduction of the Lincoln Memorial statue. Now moved to Arlington Heights but no mention if the statue is still with them. Perhaps I'll have to check it out.

LINCOLN TOWING SERVICE, INC- at 4882 N. Clark Street- home of the infamous Lincoln Park Pirates who'd tow almost anything, including the boats in Belmont Harbor. Made famous by Chicagoan Steve Goodman's song "Lincoln Park Pirates."

This was a fun look at some of Abraham Lincoln's legacy in Chicago. Really, the pirates and written in Korean?

Looking Forward to the Celebration in two years. --RoadDog