On February 11, 1861, Abraham Lincoln stopped in Lafayette during his "Whistle Stop Tour" on the way to Washington D.C. for his presidential inauguration and spoke unifying words about the Union, declaring, "We are united in one feeling for the Union. We believe in...every star and stripe of the glorious flag." In the early morning of May 1, 1865, citizens of Lafayette lined the tracks to mourn the nation's loss as the Abraham Lincoln Funeral Train made its way to Springfield, Illinois.
