Looking for Lincoln in Beardstown, Illinois

We sure stirred up the mud when we left our shallow marina this morning.

And logs and dead fish!

As we traveled down the Illinois River we felt like we were all alone in the world for miles and miles... once in a while the radio would squawk with a tug calling his position but far off.  It was an over cast morning.  

Then our first tow came along.  It was 15 barges!

About 11:30a we saw a railroad bridge but the chart didn't tell us the clearance under it.  Walter called the bridge tender and he said he didn't know!  But then he said he was going to raise this lift bridge.... whew!

The Captain saw a tow on the other side of the bridge and called him: “Tow south of bridge going up river, this is the Miss gg in front of you.” He came back with, “Let me get through the bridge first YOUNG man and then we can pass on the 1s.” (port to port).  :-)  We moved over as far as we dared in the shallow water closer to the shore and waited.  

Just after the bridge was “The Barge” at Logsdon Tug Service. Walter had already called them on the radio so they were there on this big barge waving us over.   I had prepared lines on both side but Walter spun around mid river and pointed the bow upstream to face the current but also to get the outboard engine (port side) on the dinghy away from the rails on the barge. The tug boat guys caught our lines and asked where we were from cause we were doing everything right!  I laughed but it was a nice compliment since it has not been that long since I was calling the lines “ropes”.  Yep, that's a picnic table for our use on top of barge.

At the end of our barge “dock” are two tugs.

We checked in at the barge office and then went to town for a nice meal at “On the River”.... but you can't see the river even though there are no buildings between the restaurant and the river.  There was high wall built during the 1920s after a bad flood and since then more has been added to this wall making it even higher.

Our search for Lincoln: The town has made an interesting trail with map and all to trace the times/places Abraham Lincoln was here.  Actually, our search for him started at Havana when we stood on the spot where “Captain Lincoln” brought his canoe ashore returning from the Black Hawk War.

This is the park/town square where Lincoln gave his famous speech, “A house divided can not stand...”!  When he came for this in August of 1858 nearly 400 people greeted him and 2,500 to 3,000 stood in this park to listen to this speech that was 2 hours long!

Though he didn't practice law here one of his most famous cases was tried here... the Almanac Trial.  He was asked by friends that had taken care of him once to defend their son accused of murder.  Here is a picture of him taken during the time of that trial and it is the only time he wore a white suit.

We spent about an hour in the museum here and we got to see the actual court room where Lincoln won this case.   It was thrilling to stand where this President stood!

The only witness against the young man said they saw him do this because of the moon light.  Lincoln insisted they get a Farmer's Almanac and it proved there was no moon the night the man was killed.  After spending months in jail he was freed.

Courtroom heat was provided by coal stove.

We have resupplied the boat with a few needful things from town and look forward to retiring early tonight.... tomorrow night we will anchor out in the river! …...Which will be yet another NEW Adventure! :-0

On a very personal note.....our hearts are heavy tonight because of sad news about our beloved Pastor in New Bern, NC.  His brave kids, a son 19 and a daughter 16, gave an update on him last night at church.  He has been fighting brain cancer for a while now and the radiation is no longer working and he will be making Heaven a sweeter place in a very short time. Our prayers are with his family.