President-elect Lincoln

Being a history buff of Rochester I was very surprised to hear that Abraham Lincoln made a stop here in 1861 and gave a short speech. There is a plaque near Mill Street in the city that marks the area in which the President-elect stopped. Well, Barbie and I headed for the city in search of this plaque. We did find it on the off ramp for State Street near Mill Street. Here are a couple of pictures we took.



Lincoln was on route (via train) from his hometown of Springfield Illinois to Washington DC for his inauguration. This leg of the trip was from Buffalo to Albany. He stopped briefly in Rochester and gave the following speech:

"I confess myself, after having seen large audiences since leaving home, overwhelmed with this vast number of faces at this hour of the morning. I am not vain enough to believe that you are here from any wish to see me as an individual, but because I am, for the time being, the representative of the American people. I could not, if I would address you at any length. I have not the strength, even if I had the time, for a speech at these many interviews that are afforded me on my way to Washington. I appear merely to see you, and to let you see me, and to bid you farewell. I hope it will be understood that it is from no disposition to disoblige anybody, that I do not address you at greater length."

The train arrived at Rochester at eight o'clock. A crowd of people numbering not less than 8,000 filled the space around the depot," wrote Journalist Henry Villard. According to Victor Searcher:

"Rochester did get to hear Lincoln as had been planned. Largely because of arrangements made and unmade, the majority of people waited for Lincoln at the wrong place."
-Victor Searcher, Lincoln’s Journey to Greatness, p. 146-147.

Note: Two days earlier Lincoln made a stop in Painesville, Ohio.