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The Abraham Lincoln Long Nine Museum is located in the Col. Matthews Rogers' Building that was entered on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

It was official! Abraham Lincoln and his dedicated cadre of eight other Illinois legislators had won the General Assembly's approval to move the state capital from Vandalia to Springfield. The nine men were called the "long nine" because they averaged over 6 feet in height, uncommon in that day and age. On August 3, 1837, the "long nine" members were honored at a banquet. This banquet was held upstairs in the same building that stands at 200 S. Main Street in historic Athens, Illinois.

This historic building is now known as the "Abraham Lincoln's Long Nine Museum."

During the time Lincoln lived in New Salem now know as Lincoln's New Salem Historic Site, he traveled between New Salem Village and Springfield. It was the shortest most direct route.

During Lincoln's visits to the general store and post office, he would stop by the home of Col. Rogers to borrow books. The Rogers' home fireplace is on display in the basement area.

The upper room was used as a banquet and meeting room by the citizens of Athens.

The building now houses an audio narrated diorama tour telling about Abraham Lincoln and the Long Nine. Each diorama adds dimension that brings to life the lessons learned in childhood history classes. Viewers learn about each scene with the touch of a button!

ABE LINCOLN'S ATHENS, ILLINOIS CONNECTION

Colonel Matthew Rogers settled near what would be known later as Athens, Illinois in about 1820. He built the first cabin constructed of clapboards and sawn board lumber in this area. By 1822, settlers in the area where supporting their own tavern, store, and blacksmith shop.

On January 2, 1828 the former New York state militia leader, Col. Matthew Rogers, established the area's first post office in his home. Later in 1831 he moved it from his home into his newly constructed building.

In 1831, Athens became a city, the same year that Abraham Lincoln arrived at New Salem. Athens is Menard County's oldest city.

Jonathan Dunn, an Athens merchant, had built a sawmill powered
by a steam engine driving a circular blade when Lincoln was living in New Salem. The sawmill was advertised for sale in the Sangamo Journal newspaper in February 1833.

During 1831 Col. Matthew Rogers constructed a building to be used as a general store and Athen's first post office. The structure he built remains standing and bust today.

On November 4, 1831, Rogers moved the post office from his home into the building and changed the name from Rogers Post Office to Athens Post Office.

During this period, Lincoln borrowed books from Col. Matthew Rogers. Historians have written about this interchange and how Rogers' daughter Arminda taught the future president and Ann Rutledge. the copy of Kirkham's Grammar, the primary text they used, now resides in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

After Lincoln became New Salem's Postmaster, he would pick up mail when passing through Athens on trips to and from Springfield, not yet our state's capitol city. The shortest path to Springfield from New Salem passed through Athens.

In 1834, the postmaster had also became a skilled surveyor, and he surveyed the Post Road which passed by the front of Rogers' general store and post office. the survey point Lincoln used, still remains today, just 40 feet from the building.

While a candidate running for the state legislature for the third time, in 1836, Lincoln borrowed a horse from Mrs. Robert L. Wilson of Athens. He gave his first speech of that campaign while visiting Athens to borrow the horse.

On August 3, 1837, the citizens of Athens held a banquet for Abe Lincoln and the eight other compatriot state legislaters who had successfully worked for passage of legislation that led to the relocation of the state capitol from Vandalia to Springfield. Together the Long Nine height added up to 54 feet.

The banquet was held in the upper floor of Rogers' store. On the occasion Lincoln led the Long Nine in a toast to the citizens of Athens, saying, "Sangamon County will ever be true to her best interest and never more so in the reciprocating the good feeling of the citizens of Athens and neighborhood!"

Not connected with the move of the state capitol to Springfield, two years later, the boundary of Sangamon County was redrawn, and Athens became a part of Menard County. The appreciation for the people of Athens, so sincere at the time of his toast not long before, he had not been enough to prevent the redrawing of the boundary. James D. Allen, an Athens business man, wrote a letter to Lincoln in which he expressed the dissatifaction shared by many of his friends about the new boundary and also complained to William Butler. On January 26, 1839, Lincoln wote a letter to Butler who had also shared his disapproval with the Illinois legislature. "The grounds of your compliant I will answer seriously. First, then, as to Athens, we have Allen's letter of which we speak; and although in that letter, he did not pretend that he was specially authorized to speak for the people of Athens, he did prentend that he knew their feelings, and that he fairly expressed them - and further; Hall and Fancis of Athens are now here, and I assure you that they say nothing about 'giving us hell.' They are as good humored as I ever saw them."

It is a fact that the people of Athens were unhappy about being removed from Sangamon to the newly created Menard County. It seems that Lincoln either did not believe that the people of Athens were unhappy, or he chose to ignore Allen's letter. With credentials that included service from 1834 to 1837 as the Athens Postmaster, Allen was certainly in a position to know the feelings of his fellow citizens.

Lincoln's ties to Athens, forged in the early 1830s continued into the next decade. In 1841, Col. Rogers hired him to repossess his building from it's recent purchaser. A copymachine reproduction of Lincoln's hand-written brief is displayed in the Long Nine Musuem's history room.

Athen's is located just seven miles east of New Salem Historic Site on the old Post Road only 12 miles north of Springfield on Illinois Route 29. To reach Athens, "gateway to New Salem" exit from Interstate I-55, take the Williamsville exit.

A. Lincoln Long Nine Museum
200 S. Main St.
P.O. Box 362
Athens, IL 62613
Telephone: 217-636-8755
Fax: 217-636-8755 ext 123
Open: June 1- September 1, Business hours: Tuesday-Saturday 1-5 PM (Central Daylight time)
Closed July 4.
With a confirmed appointment, other hours are available.