Abraham Lincoln Long Nine Museum

05/07/2026

🔥🐖 HISTORY IS BACK ON THE MENU! 🐖🔥

Join us for the first-ever Hog Roast & History at the Abraham Lincoln Long Nine Museum in Athens, Illinois!

Enjoy an evening of:
🍽 Pulled pork sandwiches & sides
🏛 Local history and Lincoln connections
🎶 Community gathering and summer fun
📖 Stories tied to the historic 1837 banquet tradition

📅 August 1, 2026
⏰ 4 PM – 8 PM
📍 201 S. Main Street, Athens, IL

Meal tickets are just $15 and help support local history and community programming at the museum.

Bring your friends, your appetite, and your love of small-town history for what we hope becomes a new Athens tradition!

08/26/2025

🍂 The Season’s Final Chapter 🍂

As summer winds down in Athens, so too does another season at the Long Nine Museum. This week marks the last opportunity of the year to walk through the historic Colonel Matthew Rogers Building and experience the stories that connect our small town to Abraham Lincoln and the “Long Nine.”

For decades, this building has stood as a witness to community gatherings, friendships, and everyday life in 1830s Athens. Thanks to the dedication of volunteers and the support of visitors like you, the museum continues to share that history with each new generation.

This season, we’ve welcomed guests from near and far — schoolchildren discovering Lincoln’s early career, neighbors reconnecting with Athens’ past, and travelers who stumbled upon our hidden gem. Each visit helps keep history alive, not just in books, but in conversations, questions, and shared memories.

We invite you to stop by one last time before we close for the year. Whether you’ve never stepped inside or have visited many times before, your presence adds to the story we’re telling.

💛 Thank you for making this season meaningful. Together, we carry Athens’ history forward.

📍 Long Nine Museum, Athens, IL
🕰️ Open through August 31st only!

08/16/2025

✨ Tomorrow is National Nonprofit Day ✨

The Long Nine Museum is honored to be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, a status built through dedication, passion, and community commitment.

Our story began with the reopening of the Colonel Matthew Rogers Building in 1988, when John Eden worked tirelessly to share this rare gem of Athens’ history. After his passing in 2018, his dear friend Jim Siberell—driven by both friendship and a love for history—stepped forward. Each summer, Jim travels from Ohio to volunteer his time and ensure the museum doors remain open. His dedication reflects the spirit that keeps the Long Nine alive.

💛 Every donation matters.

Your support helps us:

📚 Preserve Athens’ Lincoln-era history
🎓 Share stories with local schools and communities
🏛️ Keep the museum open and accessible to all

On this Nonprofit Day, we celebrate not only our nonprofit designation, but also the community of supporters and volunteers who make our mission possible. Together, we’re not just preserving the past—we’re building a future where history connects us all.

👉 Join us by donating or volunteering to help carry this legacy forward.

Museum Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 1–5 PM

08/08/2025

📜🐱 Purr-suing Illinois History!
Today is International Cat Day — and while you won’t find cats listed in the minutes of the Long Nine’s famous 1837 banquet, felines were no strangers to Illinois towns. From barn cats keeping grain stores safe in early Athens to tabby companions curled up by the fire in pioneer homes, these quiet four-legged “museum guards” have been part of our history for centuries.

Fun fact: In the 1800s, cats were considered essential residents in general stores — the original “security system” against mice nibbling at precious supplies. Maybe Abraham Lincoln even gave a scratch behind the ears to a courthouse cat or two during his circuit-riding days! 🐾

So today, let’s tip our hats (and maybe a saucer of milk) to the whiskered workers who helped keep Illinois running. Share a photo of your own “history helper” in the comments!

08/06/2025

Be sure to stop by the Abraham Lincoln Long Nine Museum in Athens, Illinois to connect with Lincoln’s early political career days! Open from 1-5 pm Tuesday-Sunday!

08/03/2025

📅 On This Day in 1837: A Feast of Politics and Power in Athens, Illinois 🕯️

188 years ago, the town of Athens hosted a celebration that echoed through Illinois history—the Long Nine Banquet. Held at the Col. Matthew Rogers Building (now The Long Nine Museum), this event honored nine towering legislators (each over six feet tall), who had just achieved a bold political feat: securing the move of the Illinois state capital from Vandalia to Springfield.

Among them was a young Abraham Lincoln, already mastering the art of strategy and coalition-building. The Long Nine’s efforts weren’t just about geography. They were about influence, ambition, and a vision for a growing Illinois.

🗳️ This event marks a pivotal moment in Lincoln’s early career, one that helped solidify his reputation as a leader and a dealmaker. It’s also a powerful reminder of how small towns can sit at the center of great change.

📍 Stop by the Long Nine Museum today to explore the site where the banquet was held, walk the same floorboards, and discover how a meal became a milestone in Illinois history.

Open Tuesday-Sunday from 1-5 PM

08/01/2025

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On August 1, 1836, Lincoln wins election to a second term in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Lincoln served four terms in the Illinois House of Representatives for Sangamon County. In this role, he championed construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Lincoln also voted to expand suffrage beyond White landowners to all white men. Lincoln was admitted to the Illinois bar on September 9, 1836.

Photo is of the Vandalia State House in Vandalia, Illinois. When Lincoln and his colleagues returned to Vandalia in the fall of 1836, they saw the new "State House" waiting for them, as the previous building was unsatisfactory. In February 1837, the legislature voted to move the governmental center to the more populous town of Springfield. The fifth Illinois capitol, the Old State Capitol State Historic Site located in Springfield, was used from 1839 to 1876. It has since been replaced by the sixth and current Illinois State Capitol.

Learn more about visiting the Vandalia State House at:
https://dnrhistoric.illinois.gov/experience/sites/site.vandalia-state-house.html

Info from Wikipedia.

07/31/2025

📬 Step into the past—where every letter had weight, every purchase was handwritten, and the stove did more than just heat the room.

Welcome to the Long Nine Museum’s post office exhibit—featuring original flooring, a rare Rainbow Stove from 1872, and a glimpse into daily life in 19th-century Athens. 💌

🧾 Check out an authentic bill of goods from local merchant Myer Salzenstein and vintage postage rates that’ll make today’s Forever Stamp feel like a bargain.

Swing by today to explore stories written in ink, sealed with history, and preserved right here in Menard County.

📍Open 1-5 PM
🎩 Admission is free — just bring your curiosity!

07/23/2025

☀️ Hot Enough for Ya? 🧊
Escape the heat and step into one of the coolest place in Athens, the Long Nine Museum!

Our 19th-century walls are thick, the stories are even thicker, and best of all… the air is refreshingly historic.

🧺 Bring the family
🕵️‍♂️ Explore Lincoln’s legacy
🚪 And yes — the door’s open and the shade’s just right.

📅 Open Tuesday–Sunday | ⏰ 1–5 PM
📍 200 Main Street, Athens, IL

Beat the heat with a blast from the past.
📸 Snap a pic and tag us — we promise we’re cooler than your cousin’s basement.

07/21/2025

🕰️💌 Throwback to a time when pamphlets were king and Lincoln lore fit in your pocket!

Check out this blast from the past—brochures from decades of storytelling at the Long Nine Museum! From sepia tones to modern folds, we’ve been sharing the story of Lincoln and his legendary Long Nine crew one trifold at a time.

📚 Some of these gems date back over 40 years—proof that history never goes out of style.
💬 Fun fact: The building Lincoln helped his friend reclaim is the very one you’re invited to explore today!

Come flip through history, grab a brochure, and maybe make some stories of your own.

🕐 Open Tues–Sun, 1–5 PM
📍 Downtown Athens, IL

07/19/2025