Kent, Illinois - Blackhawk War Monument - Gravedigger Abe

Stillman Valley was founded in north central Illinois in 1876. A creek running through the community was named after Major Stillman of the Illinois Militia who led troops in the first named battle of the Black Hawk War on May 14, 1832. The battle and the creek became humorously known as "Stillman's Run" after Stillman and his men fled the battlefield believing they were being chased by thousands of Chief Black Hawk's warriors. The day after the battle, Abraham Lincoln helped bury the dead soldiers from the battle.

The battlefield and the site where the soldiers from the Black Hawk War are buried is in present-day Stillman Valley at the Stillman's Run Battle Site. A large memorial to this battle is located in there. It reads, in part: "Here, on May 14, 1832, the first engagement of the Black Hawk War took place, when 275 Illinois militiamen under Maj. Isaiah Stillman were put on the run by Black Hawk and his warriors." [L. Jane A., 09/18/2009]

South of US 20 near Kent is a monument located on the site of Kellogg's Grove, an early settlement established in 1827 on a mail route between Peoria and Galena, and now on the National Register of Historic Places. It honors those killed in the Blackhawk War, including the final Illinois battle which occurred at this grove in June, 1832.

Abraham Lincoln, a member of the Illinois militia, helped to bury five of the slain men. The remaining soldiers were originally buried throughout the area at the spots where they fell. Fifty years after the war, local farmers collected the remains and buried them in one enclosure on top of this hill overlooking the Yellow Creek Valley. The 34 foot high monument was dedicated in 1886, and the area now includes a shelter, play area and log cabin. [John Holmes, 10/28/2006]