Ottawa, Illinois: Lincoln vs. Douglas Fountain
During the 1858 senatorial campaign, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas had seven one-on-one debates. The first one was on a platform now occupied by a fountain and statues of the two men. Diminutive Douglas looks half-scale next to Lincoln. A marker notes Lincoln lost the election, then campaigned against Douglas for the presidency and won -- but only when other candidates "took votes that probably would have gone to Douglas."
- Address:
- Jackson St., Ottawa, IL
- Directions:
- The fountain is in the center of Washington Park, a wooded square between the north and southbound lanes of Hwy 23, between Jackson and W. Lafayette Sts.
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Nice stop and park. I would suggest going to Steve's Bakery, just a half mile away, and getting a delicious snack to enjoy in the park. Great history lesson if you read the sign!
[K, 06/17/2019]
Lovely square -- shaded, pretty flowers and well kept gardens when we were there in June. Several other monuments, as noted before, with another marking the Lincoln - Douglas debate on a boulder with a time capsule marked.
[Kathy & Ron NxNE, 06/11/2015]
Located in the middle of Washington Park is a fountain monument featuring Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. This monument marks the place where the first Lincoln-Douglas debate took place on April 21st during their campaigns for Illinois State Senate in 1858. There are also other memorials in the park, including a WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam War Memorial.
[Mandy, 12/11/2004]Lincoln won the debate but lost the Senate election to Douglas. Two years later Lincoln won the Presidency but again, in Ottawa, got fewer votes than Douglas. So we're not really sure who the statue is celebrating -- maybe both of them. June 2013: Photo added.
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