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Church plans celebration of Lincoln's Janesville visit

JANESVILLE — A fire, new additions and special visits by Eleanor Roosevelt and Ogden Nash have marked the First Congregational United Church of Christ's history in Janesville.

But Abraham Lincoln's Sunday spent in the pews of the church in 1859 usually is claimed to be the most significant historical event by its members.

Jim Hay, a member of the church board, six months ago began planning a special ceremony for Sept. 27 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the visit.

The Rev. John Eyster will speak at the church at 9:50 a.m., and the Civil War First Brigade Band also is scheduled to perform during the event.

The band specializes on period music and also wears full uniforms and uses instruments from the period, Hay said.

"It's just amazing to think that he spent time in our church, and it was entirely by accident," Hay said.

The story goes that William Tallman drove to Beloit and convinced Lincoln to visit Janesville and stay at the Tallman house for the evening. Lincoln accepted but missed his train on Sunday morning because a servant had taken his boots out to be cleaned. So Lincoln attended services with the Tallman family at First Congregational.

After Eyster's address and the band's performance, all attendees are invited to a potluck lunch along with the brigade band. The band then will march from the church to the Tallman House for a military concert.

Impersonators of Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd, also will attend the church event and ride in a carriage during the band's march.

Hay said the event is open to community members of all faiths and he hopes people who do not belong to the UCC also will attend.

"This is something that Janesville can feel good and proud of after some of the tremendous losses we've faced," he said.

The Rock County Historical Society is hosting the afternoon's brigade band and other activities at the Tallman House.