Sandburg's Hometown

August 3, 2015

Lincoln-Dougals Debate Plaque Knox College, Galesburg, dedicated October 7, 1896.


October 7, 1896

by Barbara Schock

“On the north front of Old Main many times I read on a bronze plate the words spoken by Lincoln and by Douglas some thirty-four years before I stood there reading those words. They stayed with me, and sometimes I would stop to read those words only, what Lincoln said to twenty thousand people on a cold windy October day: “He is blowing out the moral lights around us, when he contends that whoever wants slaves has a right to hold them.”

                                                                                                Carl Sandburg

 

The bronze plaque was dedicated October 7, 1896, the same day as was the Soldiers' Monument in Hope Cemetery.

 

In late August of that year the president of Knox College, John H. Finley, discussed with Clark E. Carr of Galesburg, the idea of dedicating a plaque to commemorate the Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Finley had graduated from the college in 1889 and returned to be president three years later. He was the first person to emphasize the connection between the debate and the college. It was a stroke of genius and added greatly to the reputation of the institution.

 

Within the next three weeks, well-known orators of the day were invited to speak at the dedication. Old Main had received a new coat of paint on the exterior and was refurbished on the inside as well. A stand for the day's program was erected on the east side of the building, just as it had been in 1858. There was room for the speakers, other dignitaries and 250 students of the college who would join in the musical portion of the program.

 

The newspapers published the program of events on October 5th.  The welcoming speech would be given by Clark E. Carr. The major address of the afternoon was to be made by Chauncey Depew. He was president of the New York Central Railroad and one of the most admired orators in the country. Other speakers were Senator John M. Palmer, formerly Colonel of the 14th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War, the Honorable Horace Boies, Governor of Iowa. Robert T. Lincoln, son of the martyred president, also spoke. He had been the main speaker at the dedication of the Soldier's Monument that morning.

 

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company decorated the passenger depot with flags and bunting as most of the principals would be arriving by train. The railroad also offered half-price tickets to those who wanted to come to Galesburg for the the day.

 

It was estimated 20-25,000 people were in Galesburg for the double celebration. The ladies of the Old First Church served meals all day for the visitors. The police reported the crowds were orderly. One lady had her gold watch and chain picked from her pocket while she watched the parade which started the day's festivities. A distraught woman had lost her child for a short time, but the police were able to reunite them.

 

Readers may have noticed that October 7, 1896, was the 38th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Sandburg's memory may have been a little faulty when he wrote his memoir Always the Young Strangers. Math wasn't his strong suit.

 Knox College Dedication of Lincoln-Douglas Debate Plaques, Old Main, October 7, 1896

Louise Seacord (center) in attendance at the Lincoln Douglas Debate Plaque Dedication Ceremony,
Knox College, Old Main, October 7, 1896

Sandburg's Hometown
Date Title
August 3, 2015  October 7, 1896
July 27, 2015 The Soldier's Monument
July 20, 2015 Ice
July 13, 2015 Moses O. Williamson
July 6, 2015 Sweet Little Alix
June 29, 2015 Sharlie's Shickens
June 22, 2015 Anna Held & John Drew
June 15, 2015 Hartel & Secker Meat Market
June 8, 2015 Girls
June 1, 2015 Old First Church - Part II
May 25, 2015 Old First Church - Part I
May 18, 2015 Marbles
May 11, 2015 Pawnee County, Kansas
May 4, 2015 Detective Stories and the Real Thing
April 27, 2015 Professor Isaac A. Parker
April 20, 2015 Celluloid Collars
April 13, 2015 Asparagus
April 6, 2015  Mayor John C. Stewart 
March 30, 2015 Basket Ball
March 23, 2015 The Courthouse of Knox County, IL
March 16, 2015

“Trifles make perfection...”

March 9, 2015 Uncle Tom's Cabin
March 2, 2015 Martha Sandburg Goldstone
February 23, 2015 Devotion
February 16, 2015  Gumbiner's Pawn Shop 
February 9, 2015 White Bread
February 2, 2015 The Monarch Club
January 26, 2015 The Silver Dollar
January 19, 2015 The Fulton County Narrow Gauge Railway
January 12, 2015 The Four Corners
December 22, 2014 Swedish Christmas
December 8, 2014 Christmas 1878
December 1, 2014 Bunker Boots & Shoes
November 24, 2014 Galesburg, Illinois
November 17, 2014 It was Buffalo Bill's Day
November 10, 2014 The Election of 1896 (A follow-up story)
November 3, 2014 The Election of 1896 (continued)
October 27, 2014 The Election of 1896
October  24, 2014 The Rissywarn
October 20, 2014 The Parlor Stove
October 13, 2014 Ashes to Ashes
October 6, 2014 Jesse James
Sept. 29, 2014 Lester T. Stone, Public Servant
Sept. 22, 2014 It's Who You Know
Sept 15, 2014 Mother of the Illinois Flag
Sept 8, 2014 The Scissors Grinder
Sept 1, 2014 Baseball
August 25, 2014 Howard K. Knowles, Capitalist
August 18, 2014  Alcoholic Beverages
August 11, 2014 Soda Water
August 4, 2014 Sweet Corn
July 28, 2014 Marching Through Georgia
July 21, 2014 The Knox County Fair
July 14, 2014 The Panic of 1893
July 7, 2014 The Rev. T. N. Hasselquist
June 30, 2014 The Knox County Courthouse
June 23, 2014 The Family Photograph Album
June 16, 2014 Parades
June 9, 2014 Lingonberries
June 2, 2014 Where We Live
May 26, 2014 Old Main
May 19, 2014 Rhythms of the Railroad
May 12, 2014 Spring Tonic
May 5, 2014 The Milkmen
April 28, 2014 Gray's "Elegy..."
April 21, 2014 Off to War
April 14, 2014 Swedish Easter
April 7, 2014 A Father's Face
March 31, 2014 Secret Societies
March 24, 2014 George A. Murdock, Merchant
March 10, 2014 Trade Cards
March 3, 2014 The Demorest Medal
February 24, 2014 Rip Van Winkle
February 17, 2014 Cabbage Soup
February 10, 2014 Lincoln's Birthday
February 3, 2014 4  The Colonel
January 27, 2014 The Lincoln Penny - A Little History
January 20, 2014 Walking to Work
January 13, 2014  A Small Abode
January 6, 2014 Birth of a Poet
December 30, 2013 Christmas 1880
December 23, 2013 Swedish Christmas
December 16, 2013 The Reporter Sees Santa
December 9, 2013 The Coming of Christmas
December 2, 2013 The Fire Boys Talk
November 25, 2013 Galesburg Will Feast on Turkeys and Cranberries - Thanksgiving 1893
November 18, 2013 Mary Sandburg Johnson
November 11, 2013 Carl Sandburg's Bicycle
November 4, 2013 Lace Curtains
October 28, 2013 The Front Room
October 21, 2013 A Warm Breakfast
October 14, 2013 Marion D. Shutter
October 7, 2013 Cigars and Consumption
September 30, 2013 Forrest F. Cooke & August Sandburg
September 16, 2013 Forrest F. Cooke, Mayor
September 9, 2013 Dusty Streets
September 2, 2013 Typhoid Fever
August 26, 2013 Coffee and Water
August 19, 2013 A Horse! A Horse!
August 12, 2013 Gaddial Scott
August 5, 2013 The Racetrack
July 29, 2013 John Peter Algeld - Part II
July 22, 2013 John Peter Altgeld - Part I
July 15, 2013 Tramps, Tramps, Tramps
July 8, 2013 Lady Liberty
July 1, 2013 Galesburg's Fourth
June 24, 2013 John H. Finley
June 17, 2013 The World's Columbian Exhibition
June 10, 2013 Fruit Short-Cake
June 3, 2013 Horatio Alger, Author
May 27, 2013 Memorial Day, 1887
May 20, 2013 Professor Jon W. Grubb
May 13, 2013 Beginnings of Lombard University
May 6, 2013 Young Sandburg’s View of Lombard College
April 29, 2013 Thinking
April 22, 2013 Robert Colville, Master Mechanic
April 15, 2013 The Galesburg Opera House
April 8, 2013 Grocery Stores and Sample Rooms
April 1, 2013  A Hearty  Breakfast 
March 25, 2013  The Lost Wallpaper Legend 
March 18, 2013 Martin G. Sandburg
March 4, 2013 The Edison Talking Machine
February 25, 2013 Joe Elser, Civil War Veteran
February 18, 2013 Remember the Maine...
February 11, 2013 Lincoln's Birthday
February 4, 2013 Curiosity
http://www.sandburg.org