Sometimes this stuff just gets a bit much.
BLOOMINGTON -- When Abraham Lincoln was an attorney in the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Illinois, he collected his largest fee - $5,000 - from a McLean County lawsuit. When he ran for a seat in Congress, Lincoln lost in his home base of Sangamon County but carried McLean County by about two-thirds of the vote.How thin can you spread one deceased president? I’m sure Mr. Lincoln had no idea that every place he walked, ate or slept would become hallowed ground. It’s interesting to see other communities discover and promote their Abeness.
When he set his eyes on the presidency, Lincoln depended on help from many Bloomington friends, including Judge David Davis, for the nomination.
“No county, except Sangamon, was more important to Lincoln’s career than McLean County,” said Bloomington attorney Bob Lenz. “Lincoln loved McLean County. It was very important to his career.”
As the nation prepares to recognize the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth in 2009, Lenz and other community leaders want to promote those and other little-known McLean County/Lincoln facts. They recently formed the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of McLean County to coordinate a variety of events and exhibits.
What I wonder is this: Is there any other person, historical or otherwise, that has been so embraced by so many communities in one geographical area? Maybe I’m wrong, but do the likes of George Washington or Thomas Jefferson or some major celebrity from the entertainment world command such devotion and attention anywhere? Maybe Elvis? I can’t think of anyone else.
1 comment:
Watch CSPAN, and you'll spend many enjoyable hours, especially on the weekends, watching romps about along the east coast visiting every tavern which George Washington stayed at.
No it's not a new phenomena, but Abe's 200th birthday is a chance to make some tourist money.
JP
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