abraham lincoln

The photo of Lincoln that you're looking at was taken in Beardstown, Illinois in 1858. It is supposedly one of the last (if not the very last) photos taken of Lincoln without a beard (and it was taken in Beardstown? Oh, the irony!). This photo gives you a pretty good idea of what Lincoln looked like when he visited Rockford 3 years previously, in 1855.

Congressman Randy Hultgren (IL-14) welcomed us into his Washington, D.C. office this week to talk about the 150th anniversary of the assassination of President Lincoln. We also asked him to share an amazing story surround a picture of his great-grandfather that he has inside of his office...