#illinoishistory

[fisarmonical]

A man wearing a hat and smoking a tobacco pipe using a rag to wipe the windshield of an automobile. Taken in Illinois 1927. Source:  Agricultural Extension Department photograph albums, 1902-1935.

[husheduphistory]

Fightin' Words: Abe, the Armstrongs, and the Life Changing Almanac

It’s a fun fact, the kind that comes out during parties, trivia games, or just in casual conversation. “Hey, did you know Abraham Lincoln is in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame?” As odd as it may sound, it is partially true. Before he became one of the most important figures in American history young Lincoln was many things, a self-taught student, rail-splitter, and a boatman to name a few. But, one of the biggest turning points of his life came to him as a young clerk where a simple show of athletic prowess would tie him to a murder trial decades later.

By 1831 Lincoln was living in New Salem, Illinois and working as a clerk in a grocery store owned by Denton Offutt while studying law. He was only twenty-two years old but the six-foot-four-inch tall Lincoln had developed a reputation for being a formidable wrestler with an undefeated string of wins in the catch-as-catch-can style of hand-to-hand wrestling. This type of reputation spread quickly in the rough and tumble town of New Salem, and it caught the ears of The Clary's Grove Boys, a nearby gang of men who spent their days drinking, fighting, pranking people, and spreading a general storm of rowdiness wherever they traveled. Offutt was continually impressed by his new employee, openly bragging about how Lincoln was mentally and physically superior to any of The Clary’s Grove Boys and that he could easily take any of them down in a fight. The Clary’s Grove Boys heard the claim loud and clear and their “champion” Jack Armstrong was up for the challenge.

The accounts of the fight between Abraham Lincoln and Jack Armstrong vary depending on the source. Some accounts say that the battle lines were drawn clearly between Lincoln and Armstrong while others say that Lincoln bet Armstrong ten dollars that he could find a man who could beat him and on the day of the fight no one showed leading to Lincoln calmly stating “Look here, Jack, my man isn’t here yet, but rather than lose that ten dollars I will wrestle with you myself.” Armstrong was no small opponent, but he had no idea who he was tangling with when he locked arms with Lincoln. Given his reputation as being a bully the entire town came out to see the brawl and the two men exchanged blows and grappled with each other, each unable to pin the other to the ground but with Lincoln clearly having the upper hand. Accounts say that at one point Lincoln grabbed Armstrong by the neck and held him at arm’s length while shaking him, laughing as other members of The Clary’s Grove Boys struck his legs with zero effect. There is an unclear picture as to who even won this fight, but what is known is that at the end of it a battered and bruised Armstrong shook Lincoln’s hand and declared "Boys, Abe Lincoln is the best fellow that ever broke into this settlement. He shall be one of us."

Print "There was a Man: Abe Lincoln Licks Jack Armstrong" by Harold von Schmidt for the July 1949 issue of Esquire Magazine. Image via www.lincolncollection.org.

The fight with Armstrong changed Lincoln’s entire persona in New Salem, making him a beloved and well-respected figure in the town. He became a voice of reason to the hijinks of The Clary’s Grove Boys, sometimes stepping in as mediator and diffusing disagreements before they came to blows. He also got his first taste of leadership, later being appointed as captain of the local militia unit and moving on to serve in the Black Hawk War. Perhaps the most surprising outcome was the bond between Lincoln and Armstrong who became extremely close friends after their brawl. As years went on Lincoln was welcomed into the Armstrong family home of Jack and his wife Hannah and he would often stay there both for friendly visits and when he found himself without work. When Jack and Hannah welcomed their son William into the world in 1833, Lincoln would often rock the baby to sleep during his visits. No one in the room could have predicted how their paths would cross one day.

Jack Armstrong. Image via http://www.mrlincolnandfriends.org/

Lincoln’s career in politics and law continued to grow steadily over the next decades but while Lincoln was building his fabled career in law the twenty-four year old William “Duff” Armstrong found himself on the other side of it. In August of 1857 a religious camp meeting held in Mason county Illinois was winding down after multiple days of congregating. On August 29th 1857, the night before the meeting was to officially conclude, Duff and some others were spending time around the whiskey wagons and they decided to sample the goods. After drinking heavily Duff lay down on a bench to sleep off the effects of the alcohol and he was left alone until approximately 8pm when a local farmer by the name of James P. Metzker rode his horse into the vicinity. Metzker was also intoxicated and he made the fateful decision to grab the sleeping man’s leg, spit in his face, and drag him to the ground waking the sleeping beast of Armstrong and causing the two of them to get into a heated brawl. According to Duff’s brother, A.P. Armstrong, the two men eventually stopped throwing fists and decided to have some more drinks together. He goes on to state that after this friendly exchange Metzker proceeded to get into another fight with another man that was drinking with them named J.H. Norris. Eventually Metzker left the scene on his horse, falling off several times in the process but eventually making it home. The only three that truly know what happened that night are Armstrong, Norris, and Metzker, but two days later Metzker was dead, having succumbed to two fractures to his skull that doctors concluded could not have come from him falling off his horse. The Mason County Sheriff arrested both Norris and Armstrong for the murder of James P. Metzker.

William "Duff" Armstrong. Image via hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu.

Armstrong was facing certain peril. Accused of cold-blooded murder alongside Norris, who had already escaped jail for a murder charge once before, the outlook was bleak. While awaiting trial in jail his father Jack Armstrong died but the man had a deathbed wish, he wanted to call in a favor from his old friend, the young attorney Abraham Lincoln, and ask that he defend his son in court. Hannah Armstrong wrote to Lincoln and his response was swift:

“I have just heard of your deep affliction and your son's arrest for murder. I can hardly believe that he can be capable of the crime alleged against him. It does not seem possible. I am anxious that he should be given a fair trial at any rate, and the gratitude for your long-continued kindness to me in adverse circumstances prompts me to offer my humble service gratuitously on his behalf.”

Lincoln packed his bags and traveled to Beardstown, Illinois ready to defend the man he once rocked to sleep as a baby in the battle for his life.

The Beardstown Courthouse where the Almanac Trial took place still standing today. Image via abrahamlincolnonline.org

The trial began on May 8th 1858 and the charges against Armstrong and Norris were grim, the indictment stating the Norris struck Metzker in the back of the head with a large piece of wood before Armstrong struck him in and around the right eye with a “slung-shot”, a metal weight held in a long strip of leather, causing “mortal bruises” that lead to his death. The prosecution greatly rested on the words of Charles Allen, a man who claimed he witnessed the assault and knew it was Armstrong and Norris because he could clearly see them by the light of the full moon overhead. It may have seemed like and open and shut case, Norris had a criminal past and Allen clearly saw the men attack Metzker. But then it was Lincoln’s turn to speak.

Up until this point Lincoln sat quietly in the courtroom, “with his head thrown back, his steady gaze apparently fixed upon one spot of the blank ceiling, entirely oblivious to what was happening about him, and without a single variation of feature or noticeable movement.…” When the time came for him to cross examine Allen, Lincoln had very specific questions for the star witness. When asked for details about that night Allen repeatedly insisted he saw it all happen from approximately 150 feet away, the brutal scene being lit by the full moon overhead “about where the sun would be at one o’clock in the afternoon.” Lincoln asked more questions, pressing him about the location and time of the crime over and over again. The camp meeting was taking place in a very densely wooded area that was quite dark at night. Lincoln joked, did Allen have a candle with him in order to see? But the witness persisted that he saw it all happen clearly in front of him and that his certainty was fully placed in what he saw under the light of the bright full moon. He was given every opportunity to change his words.

When Lincoln was satisfied that Allen was given a proper chance and that he had made himself clear about the moon lighting his view of the crime, he submitted into evidence an almanac that contained information about the night the assault occurred. The defense was swift and crushing. The pages of the almanac contained a wealth of information, including the position and phase of the moon the night of August 29th 1857 and it simply did not match the account of the witness. The volume was inspected by the court, the attorneys, and by Judge Harriott all of which confirmed the information on the page, at the time of the assault the moon was no where near a position to be illuminating the scene. Rather than being directly overhead as Allen stated, Lincoln said the moon was in fact setting, which would have left the scene amid the heavy forest in significant darkness, certainly not illuminated brightly enough to see the distinct faces of Armstrong and Norris.

Lincoln for the Defense painted by Norman Rockwell in 1962 depicting Lincoln during the Duff Armstrong trail. Image via https://www.lincolnshrine.org/

Everything the prosecution had deflated within moments as members of the jury and some in the courtroom burst into laughing. Judge Harriott commented that Lincoln was wrong about one thing, that according to the almanac the moon would have been coming up at the alleged time instead of going down as he stated. Lincoln’s response was simple, “It serves my purpose just as well, just coming up or just going down, as you admit it was not over head as Mr. Allen swore it was.”

With a simple turn of a page all credibility of the prosecution was destroyed. Lincoln had other evidence including a doctor stating the injuries to the front of Metzker’s face were the result of the blow to the back of his head, but it did not matter. The almanac sealed the deal in the minds of many present in the courtroom. As the jury went into the jury room Lincoln approached Hannah Armstrong and told her that her son would be “cleared before sundown”, a prediction that quickly came true. Within an hour the jury unanimously voted to clear Duff Armstrong of all charges.

After being reunited with his mother and getting a talk from Lincoln about how he needs to care for his mother and become the man his father was Duff Armstrong went on to live a long life, dying on May 5th 1899 at sixty-six years old. Norris, the man who allegedly inflicted the blow to the back of Metzker’s head, was convicted and this time he was unable to avoid jail. He was sentenced to eight years in a state penitentiary.

“The Almanac Case” became on of the most well know chapters in the law career of Abraham Lincoln and was even used in campaigns against him during his senatorial race and his later run for the presidency where opponents alleged that he used an altered almanac to keep his old family friends safe. Lincoln became the sixteenth President of the United States just two years later in 1860. He was honored by the National Wresting Hall of Fame with the Outstanding American Award in 1992. Today, visitors to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame can visit the Lincoln Lobby with a mural showing the famous brawl between Lincoln and Jack Armstrong that would lead to a lifelong friendship and save Armstrong’s son only two years before Lincoln became President of the United States.

*************************************************************

Sources:

Lincoln's Defense of Duff Armstrong by J. N. Gridley.

Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1908-1984), Vol. 3, No. 1 (Apr., 1910). https://www.jstor.org/stable/40194333

True Story of the Almanac Used by Abraham Lincoln in the Famous Trial of Duff Armstrong by Duncan Ferguson.

Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1908-1984), Vol. 15, No. 3/4 (Oct., 1922 - Jan., 1923). https://www.jstor.org/stable/40186950

Abraham Lincoln and the Case of the Altered Almanac by Mel Maurer

The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable, 2006.

“Duff” Armstrong Trial: 1858 Encyclopedia.com.

By the Light of the Moon: Abraham Lincoln's Adventure in Forensic Meteorology (Part 1) By Matt Soniak. Mental Floss.com Sep 13, 2011.

Is Abraham Lincoln in the Wrestling Hall of Fame? By Dan Evon. Snopes.com May 3, 2018. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/lincoln-wrestling-hall-of-fame/

[bygonely]

Stunning Historical Photos of Life in Chicago in 1941 by John Vachon

[stephensonhouse]

[brickstory]

Shared from @quincystreetvictorian - thank you for hashtagging us here! . A recent trip to Chatham to visit family revealed this beauty to me on the way home. . This beautiful Italianate Mansion sits off Illinois Route 4 south of Springfield and north of the Village of Chatham. Built in 1876 at a cost of $20,000, this mansion was the home of Benjamin F. Caldwell (1848-1924), who had careers as the president of the Farmer's State Bank in Springfield, and the Caldwell State Bank of Chatham, as well as having served in the Illinois House and Senate. Mr. Caldwell also represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1899 to 1905. . #italianate #oldhouse #oldhouselove #victorian #victorianhouse #archi_ologie #historichome #oldhouselove #brickstory #illinoishistory, #oldhome #thisoldhouse #architecture, #housesofinstagram #homedesign #oldhousecharm #deserve2preserve #historichome #historylover #archigram #architecture_hunter #architecture_best #architecturaldesign #architecturedaily #architecturedetails #instarchitecture #architecture_view #architecturealways #designdetails, #travelamerica, #travelnow, #chatham . Tell us your story... (at Chatham, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/B61Qh4XgfnO/?igshid=16im9l6m0ex12

[afronautlab]

Today I felt very honored to have been invited to participate in the DuSable Museum of African American History and Chicago History Museum's stage at the 31st beach commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 on behalf of Lethal Poetry. I'm also glad to have connected with the future +nauts and -nots that I'll be collaborating with in the future! Thanks for coming to talk to me after the performance! . HISTORY LESSON! The Chicago Race Riot began at the Twenty-ninth Street beach when a white man threw a rock at Eugene Williams, an African American teen, striking him and causing him to drown. After seven days of shootings, arson, and beatings, thirty-eight people were slain with an additional 537 injured. CHM assistant curator Julius L. Jones recounts the most violent week in Chicago history and its legacy of activism in this photo essay. #Chi1919 . . #BlackLivesMatter #euginewilliams #rip #BlackHistoryMatters #blm #blackboys #blackpolitics #equality #civilrights #postwar #redsummer #chicagostreets #chicagoraceriots #raceriots #chicagohistory #blackhistory #bhm #blackhistorymonth #illinoishistory #jimcrow #jimcrowlaws #whitesupremecy #whiteracism #blackracism #prejudice #riots #protest https://www.instagram.com/p/B0cqU-wnF2c/?igshid=1u3bvpnads2wi

[brianbachochin]

#illinoishistory #thisiswhereimfrom (at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers Mattoon, IL) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzn4wTXnw2sH_c2OqrqHO0DVSexE5tSMzxIcmo0/?igshid=1k9oa5qbhj9f9

[historysisco]

On This Day in History June 6, 1892: The first of Chicago's Elevated Trains aka "The L" runs from 39th (now Pershing Road) and State streets to Congress Parkway and Wabash Avenue. The next year it was extended to accomodate the World Columbian Exposition. By 1897 the first full circuit of the loop was completed.

#TheL #TheLoop #ChicagoLoop #IllinoisHistory #ChicagoHistory #TransportationHistory #TrainHistory #AmericanHistory #USHistory #History #Historia #Histoire #Geschichte #HistorySisco

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ced3PrguBva/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[falknerjarrell]

Gottlieb and Philippine Schauer, late 19th Century. The family immigrated from Nürtingen, Baden-Württemberg (present day Germany) to the USA in 1848. They settled in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA, where several children were born, including Amelia Schauer Schermack (b. 1853). The family joined the German migration to the Midwest and settled near Freeport, Illinois, USA. The Schauers were maternal great-grandparents of Dorothy Blumenstiel Jarrell. #readingpa #familyhistory #ancestors #freeportillinois #genealogy #genealogyphoto #familypictures #falknerjarrell #schauer_genealogy #schermack_genealogy #illinoishistory (at Freeport, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsDZoazg-ml/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=10uwfetswwvym

[whatsyourghoststory]

Happy #FridayThe13th! Can't believe it's been 17 year since having a #paranormal experience at the #StickneyHouse (also a Friday the 13th).... hearing a masculine groan emanating from one of the front rooms. It's also the one year anniversary of getting to the bottom of that experience. According to current officers here, a wounded #CivilWar soldier has been seen here as a full apparition. A year ago, I got the amazing treat of being able to do a little investigating with @ursula.bielski, @evacowan & Dan Melone. #ghosthunting #paranormalinvestigation #illinoishistory #illinois (at Bull Valley, Illinois)

[punkecodavid]

This 4th of July is spending some time with my Dad in nearby Rockford, Illinois... #rockford #illinois #traveller #countryside #antique #vintage #midwayillinois #illinoishistory #lovenothate #getoutthere #getoutsideyourcomfortzone (at Midway Village -Rockford)

[husheduphistory]

To Neptune! The Navy and the Pig who Became King

When the item up for bid hit the auction stage it was hard to tell what the eager crowd noticed first. It was huge, somewhere between 200 and 300 pounds, and the colors of red, white, and blue struck deep into the hearts of the people of Illinois who still had the attack on Pearl Harbor fresh in their minds. In the era of World War II pork was hard to come by and when the bidding for the pig began it rained in with a fury. Someone offered $100 for a leg, another offered $300 for the shoulder, and amid it all the pig stood blinking calmly while his price rose higher and higher. When the bidding ended he had brought in thousands of dollars and his new owner was ecstatic, but only for the one minute that he owned him. At the end of the night the pig went home with the same person he arrived with and the bidders went home with their fistful of papers. They all knew they were never actually going to go home with a piece of meat, and they were fine with it. This was no ordinary pig, this was King Neptune, and he was going to build a battleship.

When King Neptune was born at Sherman Boner’s farm in 1942 he was the runt of the litter and Sherman’s daughter Patricia decided to raise him as a project for her local 4-H Club. The farm was located in West Frankfort, Illinois, less than an hour away from the hometown of Navy recruiter Don C. Lingle. The Navy was deep in efforts to construct new battleships and Lingle was looking for ways to raise funding for the building of the USS Illinois, a ship scheduled to be completed in Philadelphia by May 1st 1945. Money for the ship was hard to come by, but so was pork and Sherman told Lingle he could donate the pig to him to use for a fundraising pig roast. When Lingle picked up the pig, originally named Parker Neptune, he found that he could not bring himself to slaughter the animal, stating later in an interview that Parker was “an innocent looking thing.” He soon came up with an idea to keep the pig alive and still raise money for the ship. He would symbolically auction off Parker but instead of a piece of pork the bidders would walk away with war bonds.

World War II advertisments for war bonds.

Partnering with auctioneer L. Oard Sitter, Lingle took Parker Neptune to a fundraising event in Marion, Illinois and billed him as a new mascot for the Navy. Parker’s coloring was red and white and before he was presented to the masses Lingle draped a navy blue blanket over his back, pulling at the patriotic heartstrings of everyone present. When the bidding started it took off like wildfire with people pledging hundreds of dollars for a “part” of Parker. By the end of the night he raised over $11,000 and earned himself a new name, King Neptune.

King Neptune. Image via The Collection of Union County Historical and Genealogy Society: Cobden, Illinois.  

King Neptune’s next appearance proved that his success at the first auction was no fluke. The bidding was furious and the enthusiasm for the patriotic pig only grew stronger. Soon Lingle and Sitter were accompanying him to fundraising events all over Illinois, arriving at each location in a special truck provided by the Future Farmers of America. The blanket was eventually replaced by a purple and gold robe emblazoned with his name, his hoofs were painted, and he wore a gold crown gifted to him by the Illinois Women's Club. After every auction the winner was technically allowed to claim King Neptune and bring him home, but no one ever did. They would “own” him for one minute before officially handing him back to Lingle and going home with their war bonds and stories of winning the great King Neptune.

Illustration of King Neptune appearing in the St. Louis Post - Dispatch on June 18th 1950. Image via npr.org.  

Everyone loved King Neptune and with each event he not only raked in the donations but he also collected a number of honorary memberships to many of the Elks lodges that sponsored his appearances. As his popularity grew, so did the bidding and each auction was regularly pulling in $50,000 or more to go to the Navy and the USS Illinois. At one point someone even paid $25 to “own” a squeal from the King. On March 6th 1943 one of his hairs sold for $500, but that was not the most stunning bid of the night. At the same auction Dwight H. Green, the governor of Illinois, bought King Neptune on behalf of the state for the price of one million dollars. But, like so many before him, he happily claimed his one minute and then returned the pig to Lingle to continue his fundraising efforts.

As the original completion date of May 1st 1945 came and went the USS Illinois was still under construction. King Neptune raised a staggering nineteen million dollars for the effort (today’s equivalent of 250 million) but it was still not enough to save the ship. The project was officially cancelled on August 11th 1945 with only 22% of the ship complete.

The USS Illinois shortly before construction was ceased. Image via wikipedia.

With the USS Illinois officially cancelled and World War II coming to an end later that year, King Neptune’s fundraising days were complete. He raised a huge sum of money and was approaching a hefty 500lbs when it was decided that it was time for him to retire. Shockingly, King Neptune was originally supposed to end his days in the meat packing plants of the Chicago Stockyards but Lingle would not allow that to happen to his friend. He gained ownership of King Neptune and arranged for him to live the rest of his days in comfort at a farm owned by Ernest Goddard. The Goddard family treated the pig true to his name, chauffeuring him around in the back of their trucks and guiding him around the farm by tapping his shoulders when his weight of 700lbs partially impaired his vision.

King Neptune lived happily on the Goddard Farm until succumbing to pneumonia in 1950 just short of his eighth birthday. Upon his death he was given an official Navy funeral with full military honors and buried just outside Anna, Illinois with a headstone remarking how he “helped make a free world.”

Over time wear, vandalism, and the construction of a highway took its toll on the pig’s tombstone and it was replaced with a sturdier and more prominent flat marker. Today the memorial for King Neptune can be found at the Trail of Tears Tourist Information Center in Anna, Illinois nestled amid the oak trees and next to a bench where tourists can sit and read the simple inscription for the “Navy Mascot Pig”:

“Raised by Patty Boner, West Frankfort; Given to Navy recruiter Don Lingle, Anna; and auctioned by L. Oard Sitter, Anna; around the state of Illinois for over $19,000,000 in WWII war bonds.”

King Neptune memorial. Image via wikipedia.

[bygonely]

Rare Vintage Photos of Chicago's Streets and Landscapes From The 1910s

[stephensonhouse]

From the Garden...A lovely shot by our master gardeners of some of the Helianthus pauciflorus (prairie sunflower); Vernonia fasciculata (iron weed); Salvia azurea (blue sage).

#Illinois #museum #volunteer #nonprofit #didyouknow #exhibits #livinghistory #handsonlearning #localhistory #outdoorlearning #Edwardsville #historicallandmark #localtourism #historicalclothing #experiencesomethingnew #whereishenry #illinoishistory #madisoncountyIL #1820stephensonhouse #staycationlocation

#history #master gardeners #historicplants #pollinators

[unifiedsuccess]

My profession is about as far away from growing up in southern Illinois as you can get. ⠀ -- Laurie Metcalf⠀ 💥⠀ "illinois Shirts" Summer Collection by Simplyshirtz1210 https://buff.ly/2UsqwnL⠀ "illinois Shirts" Summer Collection by Simplyshirtz1210 https://buff.ly/2UsqwnL⠀ 🌽⠀ 🌽⠀ 🌽⠀ 🌽⠀ #illinois #illinoisphotographer #illinoiswedding #illinoisweddingphotographer #illinoisstate #illinoisriver #IllinoisStateUniversity #illinoisstylist #illinoisrealestate #illinoismedicalmarijuana #illinoismedicalcannabis #IllinoisBeer #illinoisbeachstatepark #illinoisbarber #illinoisprimary #illinoislottery #illinoisfishing #illinoisinstituteoftechnology #illinoissuburbs #illinoisestatesales #illinoise #illinoisstatecapitol #illinoisfarmbureau #illinoisholocaustmuseum #illinoisforest #illinoisfluorite #illinoisheadshop #illinoiswhipgame #illinoissky #illinoishistory https://www.instagram.com/p/B16UL1kpF30/?igshid=2dsvlymoajh5

[instapicsil2]

In 1818, the first Illinois State Constitution was drafted largely by Elias Kent Kane, for whom Kane County is named. As the state grew and changed, our Constitution developed with it. —- The 1848 Constitution included a section which expressly forbade duelists from holding office in Illinois. When Elias Kane’s son-in-law, William Henry Bissell, ran for Governor in 1856, this provision almost disqualified him as he had famously accepted a duel from Jefferson Davis during his first term in Congress. Not only did Bissell accept the challenge from Davis, but he also suggested the terms: army muskets loaded with buckshot from a distance of ten paces. The duel was later called off and in 1857, Bissell was allowed to take the oath of office as the 11th Governor of Illinois. —- Happy Illinois Constitution Day! #illinois #illinoisconstitution #otd #illinoishistory #duel #history #williambissell https://ift.tt/2NJmtlF