Travel Guide Lincoln

Lincoln (population 14,000) is named after the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), who was born in Kentucky but spent much of his life in Illinois. Prior to 1853, the city was known as Postville. The new name was given to the town during a ceremony to which Abraham Lincoln, who was then only elected to the House of Representatives, was invited. Lincoln College is home to the Lincoln Heritage Museum. You can also visit a house on 5th St. that is a replica of the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln sat from time to time as a lawyer. At the southwest exit of Lincoln, at the corner of Stringer Ave and 1st St (Route 66 from 1920-30), you can see The Mill, a former 1929 restaurant housed in a replica of a Dutch redwood windmill, which has reopened as a museum after many years of closure. A little further down the road, at 1750 5th St (corner of 5th St and Lincoln Pkwy; Route 66 from 1940-50), you can see in the parking lot of the Best Western Lincoln Inn the Railsplitter. It is driven by Abraham Lincoln and measures 12.2 m long, 3.65 m wide and 7.6 m high.