Confederate Monument
transcribed by Anny Morales
The Confederate Monument on Rozier Street in North Alton is found farther north than any other Confederate Monument in the United States.
Members of the Miller family were caretakers of the cemetery for over ninety
years. The cemetery was later cared for by Fred Haper.
Mr. Miller's father came to New York from Germany and they went to Georgia where he saw the last load of slaves brought into America from Africa.
When
Mrs. Miller was fifteen years old, a smallpox epidemic broke out in Alton. The penitentiary was used as a prison for Confederate soldiers at that time. Many of the soldiers died and since there was no place to bury them, a
piece of waste land was given for burial. A large trench was dug and bodies placed in separate wooden boxes, were hauled to the cemetery six at a time, and dumped into the trench. The wagon would then return and pick up
more bodies. A total of 1384 persons were buried.
In 1909, the monument was built. The names of the men buried there are listed alphabetically by states. The fence around the grounds was given by a group of southern
ladies named "Daughters of the Confederacy." 
One man by the name of Collins was buried in a separate grave. He was a prisoner from Rock Island who was sent by mistake to this cemetery for burial. A small white marker was placed at
the site of his grave. There is only one minister buried in the cemetery, the priest-chaplain for the penitentiary.
If you go to the Confederate Cemetery today, you will see a large monument, 40 feet
tall, on top of a small hill. A walkway of concrete steps and sidewalks leads to the monument. To the northeast of the monument is a Little Leaf Linden tree. Years ago,
five trees were brought from Germany and placed in the cemetery. This tree is one of the interesting local sites that honors the Civil War period.
Daniel Webster Visits Alton
transcribed by Anny Morales
In 1840, Daniel Webster visited Alton. He was the Whig Party candidate for president of the United States. He was honored at the Alton House on Front Street. Afterwards, he made a speech from the porch of the hotel.
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
transcribed by Anny Morales
The most important political meeting held in Alton was the Lincoln-Douglas Debate on Friday, October 15, 1858.
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, who were rival candidates for the United
States Senate, had debated in many communities throughout the state. The debate in Alton was the seventh and last. They came to Alton from Quincy on the river steamer
"City of Louisiana," the day before the debate was to be held. The steamer docked about dawn and both ate breakfast at the Alton House on Front Street. After breakfast,
a group of Republicans escorted Lincoln to the Franklin House on State Street, where he was received by his friends. Douglas held a reception at the same time at the Democratic Headquarters in the Alton House.
The city was crowded with visitors. Many delegates arrived by train and river steamer. The delegations from the State Capital were escorted by the Springfield Cadets, a
military company and band. Many of the buildings were gaily decorated with flags and bunting. Slogans were also written on banners. 
The speakers' platform was built on the northeast corner of the City Hall at Broadway and Market Streets. At two o'clock, when the debate started,
a crowd of some 6000 people surrounded the platform. Judge H. W. Billings introduced the speakers.
Douglas spoke first and was received with loud
applause. Physically at the point of collapse, his voice was weak and the crowd had difficulty hearing him.
After Douglas had spoken for an hour, Lincoln was introduced. He spoke for an hour and a half.
Reporters from the following newspapers: St. Louis Republican, St. Louis Evening News, Boston Traveler, New York Evening Post, Chicago Times, and the Chicago Tribune were there to report the debate.
A marker in memory of the fiftieth anniversary of the debate between Lincoln and Douglas was placed on the City Hall, October 15, 1908. After the City Hall burned April 22, 1924, the marker was placed in the vault of the Evening Telegraph. Today,
through money given by the people of Alton and the Madison County Historical Society, it has been placed on the Lincoln Douglas Square, near the spot where the famous debate took place.
Civil War
transcribed by Tim McNamee
At the beginning of the Civil War, Alton was a very important city on the border between the North and the South. Missouri was on the side of the Confederacy while
Illinois joined the Union forces. Troops of the Seventh Illinois Infantry Regiment, under the command of Colonel John Cook, were the first to arrive in Alton. Later, other troops came here before going to the South.
During the war, Alton was a center of business. Supplies were gathered here before being shipped to the battle areas. Many of the troops gathered in Alton to receive final
instructions and supplies before going to the South. This movement of troops and supplies brought money and growth to Alton.
Governor Yates of Illinois gave the Union forces permission to use the old penitentiary
as a military prison. On February 9, 1862, the first Confederates, came up the river by steamer from the South. Not all of these were soldiers, they included: spies, bridge
burners, train wreckers, and Southern sympathizers. As the war continued, new prisoners were constantly arriving. As many as two thousand prisoners were held in the prison at one time.
The exact number of soldiers from Madison County will probably never be known. Sons followed fathers, and young boys followed their older brothers as the war
continued. It was a wonderful show of patriotism. It would take a book to record their names, regiments, and battlefields.
After peace was declared in 1865, the growth that Alton enjoyed during the war ended
and land could hardly be given away. The slump in business lasted until the beginning of the city's first industries in 1873 and 1874.
Underground Railroads in Alton
transcibed by Luke Slaughter
Illinois became involved in the Underground Railroad in 1850. Ohio was the center of activity. Three great Underground Railway lines, with their terminals upon the
Mississippi River and Lake Michigan were established across the state of Illinois. One started at Chester, another at Alton, and the other at Quincy. Runaway slaves reached
Alton from Sparta and St. Louis, and went from here to Quincy, Decatur, or directly to Chicago.
Southern immigrants migrating North to the fertile Illinois prairie brought with them very
strong anti-Negro feelings. A man caught hiding slaves in Southern Illinois was more than likely to have his property burned or to be tarred and feathered. The Abolitionist in
Southern Illinois found a very unfriendly atmosphere awaiting him and he was safer keeping his ideas to himself.
Before the Underground Railroad came into being, Abolitionists had known that secrecy
was a most important part in the success of their cause. 
If the names of the passengers of the Underground were kept in silence, there was even better reason to hide the identity of workers, routes followed, and location and nature of the hiding places. In an
age when travel was slow and uncertain, the hiding places were of the greatest importance, and much thought was given to them. In those days the farms offered many different hiding places. No well
equipped farm was without a haymow, a straw-stack, a woodpile - often mountainous in size - a smokehouse, a root-cellar or a corncrib.
One of the most interesting of Alton's Underground Railroad Stations is the basement of the Enos' Apartments (later Abbott's). The foundation of the building is at least fifteen
feet below the level of Third Street, with many rooms and winding passageways. One such passage leads into a room with many doors. Most of these doors open into other rooms.
There were many "jumping-off" places where the runaway slaves took shelter. A building belonging to George Wiegler, now the Elfgen Building (604 East Broadway), is
said to have had not only rooms but also many tunnels running down the riverfront. A hot meal awaited the "guests" and clothing was kept ready when they would stop on
their way to Canada. Judge Boynton's home on Summit Street is believed to have been another stopping place.
The Ursuline Convent is strongly thought to have been a station. When the old structure
was torn down in 1938, the construction workers discovered a room underneath the first floor which was not known to exist. It was 15 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 13 feet
deep at one end. The only entrance was through a trap door that was covered by the floorboards and a ladder led down to the floor in the underground room.
Runaways reached Alton overland from Chester, or stowed away on steamboats at St. Louis. Late at night, hidden in the straw of a hay wagon, or disguised as Mormons (who
wore dark clothing and had veils over their faces), the slaves traveled to Alton. During the day, they stayed at stations along the way. A famous one is still standing in a
cornfield south of Collinsville. This church had and still has a trap door in the center aisle, that opened to a shallow space where the Negroes could lie flat and sleep until they continued their escape.
A History of Alton Table of Contents
A History of Alton page 7
Where We Live: Alton
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