1. Creator/Author:
  2. Poor Richard Press (21)

Commemorative cachet for the Final Springfield Town Council Meeting

Creator:
Poor Richard Press
Location:
Illinois, Chicago
Origin Date:
1940
Materials:
paper
Measurements:
overall: 3 5/8 in x 6 1/2 in
Item ID:
71.2009.082.0762
Holding Institution:
Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum
Available for Viewing:
No
Category:
Three-dimensional Objects

Description

This cacheted cover commemorates the centennial anniversary of the last Springfield, Illinois, Town Council meeting on April 20, 1840. Abraham Lincoln was a member of the Springfield Board of Trustees or the Town Council, as it was often called, and worked to push through the legislature the bill to grant a charter for the City of Springfield. The charter was granted, the citizens voted in favor of the charter, and the mayor and other officers were chosen on April 20, 1840. The Town Council met for the last time that evening. On the left half of the envelope, the cachet printed in tan, brown, and yellow ink depicts a group of men gathered around a table. The title printed above the cachet reads "One hundred years ago, on April 20, 1840, the Springfield Town Council of Which Abraham Lincoln was a Member Held Its Last Meeting." The caption below the cachet is "Abraham Lincoln and the Springfield Town Council." A postmark reading "Springfield, Ill., Apr 20, 1940,10 AM" is stamped near the upper right corner of the envelope. The envelope is addressed to Lincoln Nat'l Life Foundation, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Tucked inside the envelope is a blue folder which contains explanatory text by Theodore Charrney. Part of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum