1. Creator/Author:
  2. Emery Blum (1)

Abraham Lincoln's Tavern License

Creator:
Emery Blum
Location:
New York, New York
Origin Date:
Unknown
Materials:
paper
Measurements:
overall: 14 in x 11 3/4 in
Item ID:
71.2009.081.2038
Holding Institution:
Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum
Available for Viewing:
No
Category:
Fine Art

Description

This print features the tavern license and the bond for the store in New Salem, Illinois, owned by William F. Berry and Abraham Lincoln in 1833. They obtained a license on March 6, 1833, from the [Sangamon] County Commissioners Court to keep a tavern in the town of New Salem for one year. The license was in Berry's name only. The rates they were allowed to charge were also listed on the license. The bond required is shown in print at the top of the page. The license in handwriting is shown below with a printed copy of the license to the viewer's right. Just below the handwritten copy of the license is a note stating, "Facsimile of tavern license issued to Abraham Lincoln in 1833 one year before he was first elected a legislator. Certified, C. E. Oppel, Clerk Sangamon County Court, Springfield, Ill. An illustration of Abraham Lincoln done from a photograph taken of him on February 27, 1860, in New York is to the viewer's left of the bond. Part of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum