Saving the house where Lincoln slept
Sheriff William Manahan bailed out an old friend and made a new one on July 18, 1856. For his act of last-minute hospitality, Manahan and his former Sterling home will be memorialized for all time.
On that day, an important political visitor arrived to make a speech and stay overnight at the home of Robert Wilson. However, when his wife was hurt badly in a horse accident, Wilson had neither the time nor inclination to entertain. Instead, he asked his friend Manahan to provide substitute lodging for his guest. Manahan agreed, and the rest is history.
Area residents of the Land of Lincoln ought to be thrilled with the news that the house where Abraham Lincoln slept has been bought by the Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society with money from an anonymous donor. The group plans to renovate the house at 607 E. Third St., return its appearance to 1850s vintage and open it as a museum.
The purchase came in the nick of time for the deteriorating painted-brick structure. While the building has hosted a succession of small businesses, it's been vacant for several years.
When Manahan escorted his guest home in 1856, he might have offered Lincoln one of the family beds. Lincoln, accustomed to austere accommodations from years as a circuit-riding lawyer, accepted a night on the couch instead. However, it was too short, so two chairs were placed at the end to support Lincoln's long legs, according to Manahan family legend.
One can imagine the sheriff apologizing for the lack of preparations and Lincoln putting his host at ease with several humorous anecdotes.
Sites such as the future Lincoln-Manahan museum remind us of Lincoln's other visits to the Sauk Valley, from his service as a soldier in the Black Hawk War through his trips as a rising national political figure.
These stories help humanize Lincoln. As the president who won the Civil War and freed the slaves, his reputation is larger than life. Vignettes such as his overnight stay in Sterling remind us he was a mere mortal. With a wife and three kids at home in Springfield, Lincoln was trying to save money by staying with friends instead of paying for lodging and meals.
The bicentennial of Lincoln's birth is approaching in 2009. The timing couldn't be better to proceed with the project. Not every town can make the claim that "Lincoln slept here." Of those that can, the buildings may no longer be standing. We're also told the Manahan home is the only house on the historic Lincoln Highway where Lincoln slept.
We congratulate historical society members for their perseverance and wish them good luck with the restoration project. We think Lincoln and his new friend, the sheriff, would approve.
