Lincoln, Illinois (Amtrak station)
Encyclopedia
The Lincoln, Illinois Amtrak station is a brick railroad depot built for the Chicago and Alton Railroad. It also served the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad
before becoming part of the Amtrak
system in 1971. It is located at the historic center of Lincoln, Illinois
, at Broadway and Chicago Streets.
Amtrak
service is provided by Lincoln Service and the Texas Eagle
.
tried to develop towns within the county that could become the county seat
and business center for local farmers. Early plats and developments include the Postville Courthouse State Historic Site
and the Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site
. A final decision on the county seat was not reached until 1853, when a railroad, the predecessor of what was to become the Chicago & Alton, laid tracks through the county as part of a trunk line from Chicago
to St. Louis
. Railroad management selected a site along the tracks for development, and named the new town after the railroad's lawyer, Abraham Lincoln
.
On August 27, 1853, Mr. Lincoln arrived from Springfield and led a ceremony by the railroad tracks to mark the founding of the new town. The successful lawyer paid a farmer to bring a wagonload of watermelon
s, which were handed out to the celebrants. Lincoln cut into one of the melons and "christened" the railroad trackside with the juice.
Lincoln's depot primarily serves passengers for Chicago, St. Louis, and points in between, as it did when the railroad was built in 1853.
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad
The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Class I railroad in the central United States whose primary routes extended from Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, to St...
before becoming part of the Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
system in 1971. It is located at the historic center of Lincoln, Illinois
Lincoln, Illinois
Lincoln is a city in Logan County, Illinois, United States. It is the only town in the United States that was named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president; he practiced law there from 1847 to 1859. First settled in the 1830s, Lincoln is home to three colleges and two prisons. The three...
, at Broadway and Chicago Streets.
Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
service is provided by Lincoln Service and the Texas Eagle
Texas Eagle
The Texas Eagle is a 1306-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the central and western United States. Trains run daily between Chicago, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas, and continue to Los Angeles, California, 2728 miles total, three days a week...
.
Railroad-born
Many pioneers of Illinois's Logan CountyLogan County, Illinois
Logan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 30,305, which is a decrease of 2.8% from 31,183 in 2000...
tried to develop towns within the county that could become the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
and business center for local farmers. Early plats and developments include the Postville Courthouse State Historic Site
Postville Courthouse State Historic Site
The Postville Courthouse State Historic Site is a now-reconstructed county courthouse in Logan County, Illinois in the United States. The original frame courthouse was built in 1840, and the current courthouse, which is a close replica of the first, was built in 1953...
and the Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site
Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site
The Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site is a historic county courthouse located in Mount Pulaski, Illinois, United States. It was the county seat of Logan County from 1848 until 1855. It is one of only two remaining courthouses from Illinois's Eighth Circuit, the circuit on which central...
. A final decision on the county seat was not reached until 1853, when a railroad, the predecessor of what was to become the Chicago & Alton, laid tracks through the county as part of a trunk line from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. Railroad management selected a site along the tracks for development, and named the new town after the railroad's lawyer, Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
On August 27, 1853, Mr. Lincoln arrived from Springfield and led a ceremony by the railroad tracks to mark the founding of the new town. The successful lawyer paid a farmer to bring a wagonload of watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
s, which were handed out to the celebrants. Lincoln cut into one of the melons and "christened" the railroad trackside with the juice.
The depot today
The spot where this celebration took place is the site of the Lincoln, Illinois passenger railroad depot today, and a watermelon monument stands on the south lawn of the depot.Lincoln's depot primarily serves passengers for Chicago, St. Louis, and points in between, as it did when the railroad was built in 1853.