3 things to know about Abraham Lincoln's 1859 Dayton address


WANT TO GO?

What: Unveiling and dedication of the statue of Abraham Lincoln commemorating Lincoln's appearance at the Old Court House on Sept. 17, 1859.

When: 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17

Where: Courthouse Plaza, Dayton

Note: Participants will include sculptor Mike Major, historian Harold Holzer and President and Mrs. Lincoln as portrayed by Jim Crabtree and Teena Balridge.

Abraham Lincoln stopped in Dayton on Sept. 17, 1859, to give an address at the invitation of the Dayton Republicans, who wanted to follow a visit by Stephen A. Douglas with someone from their own party.

The speech will be recognized on Saturday with the unveiling of a Lincoln statue at Courthouse Square.

Here are three things to know about the visit:

1. Lincoln didn't want a big fuss made. He reportedly wired ahead that he "did not want any show or pomp – just wanted to be one of the people."

2. He had his photo taken while he was in town. Local party officials escorted him to T.W. Cridland's work space on Third Street, where the photographer made a daguerreotype of a beardless Lincoln.

3. The reaction was very different based on party. The editor of the Dayton Daily Empire, a Democratic daily newspaper, wrote, "He is not a very pleasant speaker." The Daily Dayton Journal, a Republican newspaper, described the speech this way: He "was listened to with the utmost attention."

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