160 years ago today, Abraham Lincoln gave his now-famous speech in front of the Montgomery County Courthouse in Dayton – very close to the spot where Mike Major’s statue of Lincoln now stands.
During the civil war, thousands of soldiers were wounded and one of Lincoln’s final acts before his death was to create what is today’s VA to make sure those soldiers were cared for. Dayton is home of one of the first three locations that cared for these injured veterans – today’s Dayton VA.
AVHC and the Dayton Lincoln Society are working with Mike Major to create a statue to commemorate Lincoln’s founding of the VA. When completed, it will be placed on the Dayton VA campus.
Right now, we are in the middle of fundraising efforts. If you’d like to help out, click here.
These photos are of Lincoln before he was president; the Courthouse around the time of his speech; the hotel where he stayed while in Dayton; conditions for soldiers during the Civil War, which no doubt moved Lincoln make sure they were cared for after the war.
