Art historian tracks Abraham Lincoln’s time in Chicago

Art historian tracks Abraham Lincoln’s time in Chicago
Mark Pohlad has a special interest in all the Chicago spots Abe Lincoln hit. Flickr/Ahren
Art historian tracks Abraham Lincoln’s time in Chicago
Mark Pohlad has a special interest in all the Chicago spots Abe Lincoln hit. Flickr/Ahren

Art historian tracks Abraham Lincoln’s time in Chicago

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Illinois is the the Land of Lincoln. But President Abraham Lincoln didn’t just spend time downstate. His connections to Chicago are also deep. Although Lincoln never lived in Chicago, the city played a crucial role in developing his political career and reputation. Art historian Mark Pohlad has studied Lincoln’s relationship with Chicago.

Now most of the actual sites Lincoln spent time in are long gone. That didn’t stop Pohlad. We met up at the James R. Thompson Center at Randolph and Clark in downtown Chicago. That’s a stone’s throw from the former Chicago Courthouse – where Lincoln argued some of his famous cases. Mark Pohlad gives a talk Thursday at noon at the Chicago Cultural Center about Lincoln’s time in Chicago.

In the Extras below, listen to Mark Pohlad’s ideas about why there are so few landmarks in Chicago commemorating Lincoln.