Go on a Civil War era adventure- visit nine historic locations in the Alton area on a self-guided audio tour. See the monument to Elijah P. Lovejoy, martyr to the cause of the abolitionist movement, the home of Lyman Trumbull who authored the 13th Amendment, the square where Lincoln debated Douglas and gave his House Divided speech, two cemeteries dedicated to each side of the Civil War, a confederate prison, several buildings in which Lincoln worked and lodged, and an island of illness and duels.

Alton served as an important crossroads in American history. The town was used as a jumping point for westward expansion, as a base for the union’s fight against confederates in St. Louis, as a harbor for travel on the Mississippi, and produced materials during the industrial revolution imperative to the growth of America as we know it. Alton was home to many abolitionists, and fantastic Victorian and federalist architecture from the Civil War era and beyond can be found along city streets.

Legacy Trail guides available at the Alton Visitor Center at 200 Piasa Street downtown

Click the link to download the Lincoln Legacy Trail Audio Tour

Alton Historic Homes Tour guides also available at Visitor’s Center

Click the link to see the self-guided Alton Kit Homes Tour