The only US town named for Lincoln before he became president
By Curt_Anderson February 7, 2026 7:43 pm Category: Trivia
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Lincoln is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Illinois. First settled in the 1830s, it is the only town in the U.S. that was named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president; as a lawyer, he pled cases in courtrooms there from 1847 to 1859.
The town's standard history holds that it was officially named on August 27, 1853, in an unusual ceremony. Abraham Lincoln, having assisted with the platting of the town and working as counsel for the newly laid Chicago & Mississippi Railroad which led to its founding, was asked to participate in a naming ceremony for the town. On this date, the first sale of lots took place in the new town. Ninety were sold at prices ranging from $40 to $150. According to tradition Lincoln was present. At noon he purchased two watermelons and carried one under each arm to the public square saying, "Now we'll christen the new town," squeezing watermelon juice out on the ground.
Legend has it that when it had been proposed to him that the town be named for him, he had advised against it, saying that in his experience, "Nothing bearing the name of Lincoln ever amounted to much."
Despite that story, newspaper reports make it clear that the city's name of Lincoln had been chosen at least several weeks before the August 27 date.
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