EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS

"I heard Abraham Lincoln . . .

He had arrived [in Kalamazoo] that morning [August 27, 1856] from Chicago . . . a tall, gaunt, smooth-shaven man with black disheveled hair and heavy eyebrows, dressed in a short alpaca coat . . . black satin open vest, wide turn down collar with black necktie and dark pants of cheap texture - the whole outfit probably not costing more than $10 in the money of the period. The people bent forward with eager curiosity to listen to the tall stranger who was probably unknown even by reputation to the great mass of his audience, and who had never been seen (but) by half a dozen men on the ground . . . He had a clear, penetrating voice of tenor quality, which reached the confines of the great crowd, and he commanded their attention from the start."—"A Happy Reminiscence of the Great American," Charles S. May, the Kalamazoo Daily Telegraph, Saturday Evening, Dec. 2, 1893, p 7.

"Lincoln is the man for me."

"[We] got there before the multitude commenced pouring in. We stopped upon the corner of Portage and some other street under the shade of some oaks and saw our delegation come up. [It] was over two miles long! We then went in near the ground for speaking and attempted to count the number of teams that drove past . . . after going up to 250, they came pouring in so fast that we gave up in despair.

[I] came to the grounds where there were four or five tables spread with the staples of the land: bread, meat, cheese, etc. The tables were about 15 rods long and every few rods were set barrels of ice water with tin cups attached. I commenced at one end of a table and ate my way threw [sic], and when I gave in from sheer fatigue, I was alarmed at what I had done .

. . . meanwhile, we listened to the different speeches that were being made. Mr. Lincoln, Blair, Bingham, Bates, Jones, Kellogg and many other distinguished speakers were there. They occupied four different stands at once and the crowd was so dense at every one of them that we could not listen with much satisfaction. Listened to Mr. Bates the longest and liked him much, but Lincoln is the man for me."—Diary Entry for Wednesday, August 27, 1856, Henry Parker Smith, Michigan Historical Collections, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

"I attended the meeting . . ."

“In 1856, James Buchanan had been elected President of the United States. In the presidential canvass of that year, a great meeting of Republicans was held in Kalamazoo, at which there was speaking by noted orators from several stands. I attended the meeting and, going upon the ground, I had decided to give my attention chiefly to the address of Governor Bingham, with whom I was well acquainted. But as I passed on, looking for the different speakers, my attention was attracted by a tall, black-haired, awkward-looking man who was speaking in strong, earnest tones, and I caught the words, "Mr. Buchanan,” as he was explaining the views and exposing the errors of the Democratic candidate. I thought I would listen to this long, lank orator, who, I learned, was “Abe Lincoln” of Illinois, a minute or two, and then pass on to the stand of my old friend, Governor Bingham. But I need hardly say that Governor Bingham and his oration were utterly ignored and forgotten as I listened to the masterly oratory of Abraham Lincoln.” E. Lakin Brown of Schoolcraft recalls hearing Lincoln. He had been elected to the Michigan Senate in 1854. —E. Lakin Brown of Schoolcraft recalled hearing Lincoln speak at the Kalamazoo rally. (Brown had been elected to the Michigan Senate in 1854.) Source: Michigan Historical Collections, v. 30, 1905, p. 487.

Kalamazoo Abraham Lincoln Institute

Building on a Gift of History no Other Michigan City can Claim!

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS

"I heard Abraham Lincoln . . .

"Lincoln is the man for me."

"I attended the meeting . . ."

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Kalamazoo Abraham Lincoln Institute

Building on a Gift of History no Other Michigan City can Claim!

EYEWITNESS​ ACCOUNTS

"I heard Abraham Lincoln . . .

"Lincoln is the man for me."

"I attended the meeting . . ."

We like to stay in touch!

Newsletter Archive

If "what's past is prologue," you will want to be sure to check out past issues of our newsletter.

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EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS