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Flatboat commemorating Lincoln to visit Natchez
Published Sunday, September 28, 2008
NATCHEZ — Approaching 200 years after the birth of Abraham Lincoln, a flatboat began a month-long voyage down the Mississippi River in remembrance. And it’s about to make a stop in Natchez.
At 3 p.m. Monday, the flatboat, which is recreating Lincoln’s 1828 voyage down the river, will dock at the bottom of Roth Hill Road.
The boat began its trip in Spencer County, Ind., where Lincoln spent his early years from age 7 to 21.
Spencer County Visitors Bureau Executive Director Melissa Miller said 50 years ago, a group of Spencer County residents made the same trip.
“Now, with the 200th birthday coming up, we decided to honor both Abraham Lincoln and the people from our county who had done this trip once before,” Miller said.
The main purpose of the trip, though, is education.
“Our goal is really to help make people aware of the years that Abraham Lincoln lived in Indiana,” she said. “The Indiana years are often forgotten by our popular culture.”
With its genesis in Spencer County, the recently constructed 60-foot boat has already made 16 stops.
After its brief visit to Natchez, it will have only four more stops before ending in New Orleans. That makes a total of 21 stops in eight different states.
While some of the stops along the journey do not exactly match Lincoln’s true journey, Natchez National Historical Park Ranger Tim Van Cleave said Lincoln actually did stop in Natchez, where he was almost robbed.
“The river was a pretty rough place to be,” Van Cleave said. “It could be dangerous.”
Lincoln also had some contacts in Natchez, including an acquaintance with John Quitman.
Van Cleave said he’s putting together an exhibit about flatboatmen, Under the Hill and Lincoln’s connection to Natchez.
The group coming on the boat will give a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Natchez Visitors Reception Center.
Miller said so far the experience has been a good one.
“We really feel like we’re accomplishing our mission,” she said. “We’ve enjoyed the local flavor, meeting with all the people. We’ve had quite a few school groups come and tour the boat.”
Van Cleave encouraged all walks of life to come see the boat’s arrival on Monday and the presentation on Tuesday.
“It’s just another great part of the history of Natchez because these flatboatmen came down here and they docked under the hill,” he said. “It’s an aspect of history that we don’t get to hear a lot about and that’s being a flatboatman.”
Comments
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 12:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Its good to see one of our greatest Republicans honored in such a way. I had not known that he came down the river.
Posted by NatchezBell (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 3:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I didn't remember him being a Republican? LOL Great going Natchez...I'd be proud and honored to see old history being recreated. Children need to see this.
P.S. I was never a Political person...sorry, OldGD
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 4:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yep, he was the first. I looked up where it said he rode the flatboat to New Orleans where he had some unpleasant sights of how slaves were treated and that helped form his ideology. For some reason I'd never had any idea that he had ever visited the deep South. But the river was the major highway of the time so it stands to reason.
Posted by ingodwetrust (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
i
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 2:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Here is another good thing for parents to do with their kids. How many will take advantage of it? I don't even have any young ones at home and I plan to go see the raft.
Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 3:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Being the 'un-Reconstructed' person that I am, I would NOT go pay homage to the man who caused the death of over 620,000 Americans and trashed our Constitution in the process, and introduced the personal income tax to finance 'his' war. A pox on him.
Incidentally, his Republican party of the day was the 'liberal' party while the Democrat party was the 'conservative' group. My, how times have changed!
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
reb1843, I guess you won't be going to see Mt Rushmore either? :)
The notions of liberal/conservative change from age to age. But from its begining the Republican party has stood for freedom for all.
Posted by Bobaloo (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 5:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
i thought it was America that stood for freedom and politcal parties are a byproduct of a political system?
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 5:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Bobaloo, Where was America while so many were kept in the bondage of slavery?
Posted by rebel4ever (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 9:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
OldGrandDad, I think you may need to rethink this statement "that helped form his ideology". If you do a little history research you will find that Lincoln did not particular care for slaves or free persons of color.The fact is that Lincoln offered to submit the Corwin Amendment to the Constitution which would have guaranteed slavery in perpetuity if the states of the South would remain in the Union. In Lincoln’s 1st Inaugural Address, he specifically stated he had no intention of interfering with the institution of slavery, where it existed.
“I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.” . . . Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln didn’t “free the slaves” except in those states which had withdrawn from the Union over which he had no authority. Abolitionists were starting to oppose Lincoln and fearing that they would not support his re-election in 1864, he assuaged their rage with the Emancipation Proclamation - as useless a piece of political tripe as was ever foisted on the nation; it was all smoke and mirrors and nothing more. Slave states like Kentucky, Missouri and Maryland – not to mention Washington D.C. - which had remained in the Union were not affected by the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln's goal was to preserve the Union and he stated that he would free all the slaves or none of the slaves to preserve the Union. Read the book "The Real Lincoln" by Thomas J. DiLorenzo or "When in the Course of Human Events" by Charles Adams. I believe you will be enlightened on the man every one thinks (except me) was one of the greatest presidents. Simply stated, he was not.
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 9:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
rebel4ever, I believe that Lincoln was only doing the political tiptoe of his day and age. He was the 2nd presidential candidate of the Republican party which was a new party founded by anti-slavery people. Then, as now, no candidate could get elected by freely being open about their ideas on every possible issue. And 1850's America was a powder keg just waiting to ignite.
Sorry, but I have not studied him in depth as I tend to find presidents dull reading material. They are all flawed in one aspect or another. As we all are. :)
Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 10:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
OGD,
Nope, have no use for Mt. Rushmore, either. There are other monuments to great leaders in this country I'd rather see - Washington, Lee, Jefferson, etc.
Honest [sic] Abe was THE worst and, perhaps, most flawed president 'those people' ever had, and we're still suffering the consequences. The Republicans of the mid-1800s were not for 'freedom for all' and I have no idea where you got that notion. Only the 'radical' element of that party was for freeing the Negro. Abe ran a dictatorship for four years and eviscerated the Constitution.
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 11:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
reb1843, "freedom for all" is obviously an evolved concept. But its evolution was much quickened by the Republican party.
How about the Crazy Horse monument? :)
Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on September 29, 2008 at 8:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
OGD,
Yes, I would visit his monument. Native Americans know very well how they have been treated by the fedgov since the pilgrims landed. They are the ones who respect the land and its creatures, great and small - true stewards of what God has blessed us with, unlike so-called modern man. They waste nothing or take more than they need. BTW, I'm a grand-dad, too, but not as old as you are...hahaha
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on September 29, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
reb1843, Loretta Lynn was a grandma when she was 28. Let's hope you ain't that young.
Be careful about buying into the Native American myth. They ran whole herds of buffalo off of cliffs in order to harvest nothing but the hides. Some people think the prehistoric herds of mastadons and horses were wiped out by their overhunting.
One of our American traditions is to heap honor on our enemies who fought well and bravely against the United States. Crazy Horse certainly gets the honor as does Geronimo, Lee and Jackson.
Posted by jlm448 (anonymous) on September 29, 2008 at 12:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
American wilderness : a new history
Lewis, Michael L.
This book is amazingly well researched and easy to read as well. It provides a lot of information concerning the topic of "wilderness", including the ways in which its definition has been manipulated over the past several hundred years. The essays on the original pilgrims (native americans) are particularly good.
Posted by RSemmes (anonymous) on September 29, 2008 at 3:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
rebel4ever--Actually, the federal government had already emancipated the slaves of the District of Columbia prior to the Enacipation Proclamation. By the summer of 1862 slavery was outlawed in DC and most slaveowners, who still owned property in DC, had sent their slaves to Virginia or Maryland. So you are correct in that the EP did not affect slaves in the District, but thats because there were none by then.
When the newly freed men and the people of the District heard of the EP, they gathered on the White House lawn and serenaded President Lincoln. So whether or not he did it for political points (and I would agree that he did), its clear that it was what the people wanted (including many wonderful Confederate commanders I might add).
Posted by 2feathers (anonymous) on September 29, 2008 at 8:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I SAW THE BOAT TODAY (MONDAY),VERY INTERESTING HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE TO BOARD IT FOR A BRIEF TIME ,CREW WAS VERY FRIENDLY,HOPE THE REST OF THEIR TRIP IS SAFE AS THEY WILL SEE LOTS OF RIVER TRAFFIC FROM BATON ROUGE ON, THE BOAT WILL BE TRUCKED BACK TO INDIANA FROM NEW ORLEANS.IT WEIGHS 55,000 LBS.AND IS POWERED BY 2 150HP OUTBOARD MOTORS.............................................
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