Lincoln's Last Visit / The Debaters in Mattoon

Historical marker location:

1708 Broadway Ave, Mattoon, Illinois

( Marker is at the intersection of Broadway Avenue and South 17th Street, on the right when traveling west on Broadway Avenue.)

Marker installed: 2008

Looking for Lincoln. 1861/1858.

The state of Illinois played a crucial role in the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses used by slaves to escape to freedom in the 19th century. Many abolitionists in Illinois provided safe houses for escaping slaves, and Chicago was a key hub on the Underground Railroad.