Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Carbondale) | Photo Courtesy of Paul Jacobs website
Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Carbondale) | Photo Courtesy of Paul Jacobs website
In an April 16 Facebook post, Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-IL) shared his attendance at a dedication of a mural of the Lincoln Douglas Debate.
"Illinoisans are blessed to have had Abraham Lincoln serve as our 16th President," Jacobs wrote in his post. "I am proud to have been a part of a ceremony and unveiling of this mural that is dedicated to helping preserve our memories of President Lincoln and the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debate that took place in Jonesboro in 1858."
Jacobs was first elected to the Illinois House in 2020 and currently serves as a state representative residing in Pomona, according to the Illinois House. A Republican, his legislative experience includes serving on the Tourism Committee and Higher Education.
In his Facebook post, Rep. Jacobs shared a link to a press release about the event. The mural is in Jonesboro and was dedicated by “Looking for Lincoln,” a historical society that preserves our 16th President’s legacy in Illinois.
Looking for Lincoln is an agency bringing together the 43-county Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, according to the group's website. They work alongside the Lincoln Home National Historic Site to illustrate the former president's nearly 30 years working, traveling and living in Illinois communities. As a part of their efforts, the website states, Looking for Lincoln "partners with communities, organizations and individuals dedicated to enhancing the communities and landscapes of central Illinois through recognition and support of their significant natural, cultural and historical legacies."
The Lincoln-Douglas debates, as depicted in the mural, occurred throughout Illinois. The Looking for Lincoln organization highlights the debates and each community where they were held with pictures and descriptions for each of the seven historic debates. Jonesboro was the site of the third debate between Lincoln and Douglas. According to the website, this debate drew the smallest crowd of all the debates and was widely pro-Steven Douglas.
The mural is not the first dedicated to the debate in Jonesboro. A large limestone memorial boulder and life-sized bronze statues of Lincoln and Douglas in debate poses are on display at Lincoln Memorial Park.
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