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The Lincoln Heritage Trail is a designation for a series of highways in the
Kentucky Lincoln Heritage Trail
Kentucky Lincoln Heritage Trail Alliance {{Authority control Monuments and memorials to Abraham Lincoln in the United States State highways in Illinois State highways in Indiana State highways in Kentucky U.S. Route 60 U.S. Route 68 Auto trails in the United States
The Lincoln Heritage Trail is a designation for a series of highways in the U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
s of Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
and Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
that links communities with pre-presidential period historical ties to U.S. president Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
.
History
Fifty years after Lincoln's death (1915), theIllinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 181 ...
authorized the Illinois State Historical Library to mark the exact route traveled by Lincoln from Kentucky through Indiana to Illinois. Almost another 50 years passed before the trail was opened in 1963. Author Andrew Ferguson
Andrew Ferguson (born June 28, 1956) is an American journalist and author.
Career
Ferguson is currently a staff writer at ''The Atlantic''.
Previously, he was senior editor of ''The Weekly Standard'' (defunct since December 2018), and a columni ...
cites Robert Newman, Illinois' director of tourism in the 1960s, as saying "the whole thing was cooked up by the marketing guys at the American Petroleum Institute
The American Petroleum Institute (API) is the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry. It claims to represent nearly 600 corporations involved in production, refinement, distribution, and many other aspects of the pet ...
. ... They wanted to get people traveling. Get 'em into their cars, get 'em buying gasoline." The Trail originally had 3,000 markers showing Lincoln's route to Illinois.
Route description
As of today, much of the trail is in disrepair and signs are missing or nearly obscured. Yet, some still exist. One sign still stands on US 68 inPerryville, Kentucky
Perryville () is a home rule-class city along the Chaplin River in western Boyle County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 751 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census. It is part of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Hist ...
. It can be seen when approaching Perryville on US 68 traveling west, as it is at the intersection of US 68, US 150, and KY 52. Another Lincoln Heritage Trail sign is located on US 60 in Frankfort, and can be seen when traveling east just past the interchange with US 421 and KY 676. Another sign is on US 60 Alt. near the Grinstead Drive/I-64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange w ...
interchange in Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
. These signs are well over 20 years old. They have not been replaced as Kentucky has moved from the old painted signs to Type III reflective signs. Some counties along the trail have made efforts to restore signs and markers, but overall, the trail is somewhat difficult to follow under modern conditions.
In Illinois, the trail includes IL 155, part of IL 1, IL 33, and IL 97 ( New Salem area) and IL 125 (Old Beardstown Post Road).
In Indiana, it includes SR 62 and SR 441.
See also
* * * *References
* * *External links
Kentucky Lincoln Heritage Trail
Kentucky Lincoln Heritage Trail Alliance {{Authority control Monuments and memorials to Abraham Lincoln in the United States State highways in Illinois State highways in Indiana State highways in Kentucky U.S. Route 60 U.S. Route 68 Auto trails in the United States