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 ABRAHAM LINCOLN LOG CABIN 
 
 ST. CHARLES SCHOOL FOR BOYS 
 
 FRANK D. WHIPP, Managing Officer 
 ST. CHARLES. ILLINOIS
 
 OFFICERS STATE OF ILLINOIS 
 
 Governor, Len Small, Kankakee. 
 Lieutenant-Governor. Fred E. Sterling, Rockford. 
 Secretary of State, Louis L. Einmerson Mt. Vernon. 
 Auditor of Public Accounts, Oscar Nelson, Geneva. 
 St=ite Treasurer, Omer N. Custer, Galesburg. 
 Superintendent of Public Instruction, Francis G. Blair 
 Charleston. 
 
 Attorney General, Oscar E. Carlstrom, Aledo. 
 Clerk of Supreme Court, Charles W. Vail. Chicago 
 
 THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE 
 
 General Office, Springfield 
 
 C. H. Jenkins, Direcftor 
 
 Sherman W. Searle, Assistant Director 
 
 Herman M. Adler, M. D., Criminologist 
 
 E. B. Brooks, Superintendent of Charities 
 
 Elmer J. Green. Superintendent of Prisons 
 
 Will Colvin, Superintendent of Pardons and Paroles
 
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 ABRAHAM LIXCOO 
 
 THOMAS Lincoln, a descendant of colonial pioneers, earned his living "hiring out" to any farmer ■who 
 would have him. He had no chance to earn an education, and he grew to manhood without learning 
 to write his name. He was physically ."strong and had;;a cheerful disposition that made him friends. 
 His sound %ense and quiet mannir were noted, and he had the reputatation of being a good spinner of 
 yarns. 
 
 When Thomas was twenty-five he was working for Joseph Hanks, who ow^ned a carpenter shop. 
 Mr. Hanks had a lovely, gray-eyed sister called Nancy. She was a tall, slim girl, dark and delicate-look- 
 ing, usually, she was sweet-tempered and lively, but at times she had moods of melancholy that gave to her 
 face a sad expression which people were quick to observe. She had gone to school and could read and 
 v^rite. Her favorite and only book vk'as the Bible, 
 
 Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks fell in love, and on June 12, 1806, they were married. Thomas 
 and Nancy lived in Elizabethtown for about a year. Their daughter Sarah, was born here on the tenth of 
 February 1807. Following this event they moved to their place on Nolin Creek. 
 
 Nancy Hanks Lincoln v^^as an efficient housekeeper. Her hearth w^as always swept, her cabin tidy, 
 her children clean. She sheared her ov^fn sheep and spun the wool into cloth. She was her ov/n tailor and 
 seamstress. She helped her husband in the field with axe and hoe. She was a sprightly woman bf supe- 
 rior character. 
 
 In this clean log cabin vvrith one window, a door, and a w^ide outside chimney made of poles and clay, 
 on a cold winter's day, February 12, 1809, a little baby was born in Hardin County, Kentucky. This new^- 
 born infant was a fine healthy son of Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. This baby was named Abraham. Sarah, 
 his sister, was delighted with the baby who lay in a bed of furs staring at the rafters and cracks overhead.
 
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 The Lincolns lived on Nolan Creek until Abraham was four years old. In 1813 the family moved to 
 Knob Creek. Thomas Lincoln put Abe to wrork doing the easiest tasks of the field just as soon as he was 
 strong enough to pull weeds and carry tools. Abe helped his mother, too, carrying wood and water. 
 
 Corn dodger and potatoes were staple foods, the potatoes being sometimes peeled and eaten raw like 
 apples; and in the bitter cold weather potatoes hot from the ashes were given the children on their way to 
 school or when an errand took them a great distance, to serve them as hand warmers. 
 
 When Abe was seven years old, the family moved to Indiana. Abe and his mother worked in the 
 ■woods and helped his father build a nevv^ home It ■was simply a hut made of rough logs and limbs of 
 trees, it had no door and no windows. One side of it was left entirely open. In v/inter Abe's mother 
 used to hang up some buffalo skins before this wide entrance to keep out the cold. 
 
 The family lived in this shed for about a year; then they moved into a new log cabin which they had 
 built, and w^hich had four sides to it. They seemed to have made a nev\r set of furniture for the new^ house. 
 Abe's father got a large log, split it in two, smoothed off the flat side, bored holes in the under side, and 
 four stout sticks for legs; that made the table. Three-legged stools served as chairs. In one corner of the 
 loft of this cabin, the boy had a big bag of dry leaves for his bed. Whenever he felt like having a new bed 
 all that he had to do was to go out in the woods and gather more leaves. 
 
 He w^orked about the place during the day, helping his father and mother. For his supper he had a 
 piece of cornbread. Alter he had eaten it, he climbed up to his loft in the dark, by a kind of ladder or 
 wooden pins driven into the logs. Five minutes after that, he was fast asleep on his bed of sw^eet-smelling 
 leaves, and was dreaming of hunting coons, or of building a big bonfire out of brush. 
 
 Abe's mother was not strong; and, before they had been in their new log cabin a year, she fell sick 
 w^ith a terrible fever and died Octoder 5, ]818. Before she died she called Abe and Sarah to her, enjoinind 
 them to care for their father, to do =lways what ■was right and true, and to love God. Long as he liveg 
 Abraham Lincoln retained a vivid impression of that dark day, and he never failed to obey those solemn 
 vk'ords. When a man he said "God bless my mother; all that I ever have or hope to be I owe to her. " 
 
 As a minister could not be obtained to give the religious rites when his mother was buried on the 
 farm, Abe sent word to Rev. Elkin, of Kentucky to come to Indiana and say prayers over his mother's 
 grave. A few months later Rev. Elkin journeyed through the snow to repeat the divine words the boy so 
 craved to hear. 
 
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 The Lincoln Home at Springfield. Visited by hundreds of thousands each year.
 
 From far and near neighbors gathered to Hsten and pray under the wide sycamore that sheltered 
 the humble mound over Nancy Hanks Lincoln And the service done, Abe felt that the memory of his 
 gentle mother "who gave us Lincoln and never knew"" had been sancftified at last. 
 
 About one year after the death of his wife, Mr. Lincoln married Sally Johnson, a widow with three 
 children of her own. She was a superior woman and an excellent mother. Abe loved her dearly. Mrs Lincoln 
 was also fend of Abe, and treated him with greatest kindness, doing all she could to promote his education. 
 Speaking of him after he had grov\rn to be a man, she said. "Abe never gave me a cross w^ord or look, and 
 never refused to do anything 1 asked him. Abe was the best boy I ever saw or expect to see." 
 
 Young Abraham had very little schooling, less than a year all put together, but during all these years 
 of hardship and work he was hungry for reading matter, He read the Bible through and through. He 
 would ^valk miles to borrov^ a book. On one occasion a borrowed volume, Weem's Life of Washington, was 
 left too near a crack in the house and became spoiled by the rain. The owner charged him three day s work 
 at pulling fodder fof this book. 
 
 Before the fire in the evening time, young Lincoln ■would read by the light of the great blazing logs heaped 
 up in the open fire. Sometimes he spent his evenings w^riting or ciphering upon the back of the broad wooden 
 fire-shovel using a piece of charcoal for a pencil. In this way he obtained a meager education. 
 
 At nineteen Abraham Lincoln had reached his full height. He stood nearly six feet four inches, 
 barefooted. He was a kind of good-natured giant. No one in the neighborhood could strike an axe as 
 deep into a tree as he could, and few^, if any, were equal to him in strength. It takes a pow^erful man 
 to put a barrel of flour into a wagon without help, and there is one in a hundred who can lift a barrel of 
 cider off the ground; but it is said that young Lincoln could stoop down, lift a barrel on his knees, and 
 drink from the bung-hole. 
 
 In 1830 Thomas Lincoln decided to move to Illinois. Abraham drove the four-ox team which drew 
 his father's wagon loaded with their earthly possessions. The patient oxen were driven without lines. 
 They obeyed Abraham's voice and the motion of his wrhip. 
 
 On and on they traveled until they reached the timbered lands on the Sangamon river. They settled 
 in Macon County, ten miles west of Decatur. Here young Lincoln helped his father build a cabin and to 
 fence in ten acres of land. 
 
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 In the summer Abe started out to earn his first money for himself. He needed new trousers. He en- 
 gaged to spHt four hundred rails for every yard of cloth, colored a butternut brown, which it took to make 
 him a pair of trousers. It took fourteen hundred rails to pay for the trousers. 
 
 He engaged in a variety of occupations. He made two trips down the Mississippi River on a flatboat 
 loaded with merchandise for New Orleans. He came back full of arguments against slavery. 
 
 Young Abe hired out to tend a gcocery and variety store in New Salem, Illinois in 1831. There was a 
 gang of young ruffians in that neighborhood who made it a point to fight every stranger. The leader. Jack 
 Armstrong, made up his mind to try his hand on "Tall Abe." He attacked Lincoln, and he was so aston- 
 ished at what happened to him that he never wanted to try it again. From that time on the Armstrongs 
 were true friends of "Tall Abe." He earned the title of "Honest Abe" while clerking here by being hone^ 
 and faithful in all things. 
 
 In 1832 he was made captain of a comapany of volunteers enlisted for the Black Hawk war. After 
 Lincoln returned from the war he was made Post Ma^er of New Salem. He found time to do some survey- 
 ng, and began the study of law^. 
 
 When he began to practice law, everybody who knew him had confidence in him because he was 
 hone^ and keen. In 1834 he was a candidate for the Legislature and was elected. He met Stephen A. 
 Douglas, his future rival, and took part in moving the state capitol of Ilhnois from Vandalia to Springfield. He 
 formed a partnership with an old lawyer and opened up an office in the nevsr capitol He became a leading 
 politician in the Whig party In 1842 he married Miss Mary Todd of Kentucky. In 1846 he was elecfted to 
 Congress. In 1856 Lmcoln took part in the formation of the Republican party. The joint debates between 
 Lincoln and Douglas attracted national attention. In I860 Lincoln was nominated for the presidency of the 
 United States. He was elected president the following November. He piloted "The Ship of State" safely 
 through the Civil War and preserved the Union. He gave the world one of the choice^ pieces of literature, 
 "The Gettysburg Address." 
 
 On April 14th 1865, the v^rorld ■was thrown into a state of mourning because of the assassination of the 
 "Saviour of our Country". He was buried at Springfield, Illinois. In his death, the nation lost its greater 
 hero. No other American ■was ever mourned as was our martyred president. He was a man of the people. 
 He rose from obscurity into eminence. He w^as a man of integrity and ability; his hand w^as at the helm 
 during the most perilous period of our national existence; but the reason for such profound and universal 
 grief must be sought in the fact that, somehow, in the death of Abraham Lincoln each individual felt that 
 he had lost a just, a wise a patient personal friend. Academic Department. 
 
 9
 
 Abraham Lincoln Log Cabin Eretfted as an Inspiration for the lads of the St. Charles School for Boys
 
 ST. CHARLES SCHOOL FOR BOYS 
 
 FRANK D. WHIPP, Managing Officer i 
 
 THE St. Charles School for Boys is located on a 1200 acre tracft of land in Kane county, in the Fox River 
 Valley, one of the mo^ pitfluresque spots in Illinois, a little over three miles we^ of St Charles and 
 Geneva, and only thirty-eight miles we^ of Chicago, on the Lincoln Highway. The buildings consi^ 
 of fourteen cottage in the central group and eight farm cottages. The buildings in the central group are built 
 of red brick with red fire tile roofing, costing approximately $35,000.00 each. The approximate value of the 
 plant is $1,250,000.00. The capacity of each cottage is about fifty boys and each cottage is in charge of a 
 couple, designated as Housefather and Housemother, who look after the boys, as nearly as possible as if 
 they were in their ow^n homes. Each boy attends school one-half a day. There are also school, hospital 
 and other utility buildings. 
 
 The object of this school is to furnish care, training, education and a home to the delinquent boys 
 committed here by the courts of Illinois; in other words, this is state boarding school for boys. Only boys 
 between the ages of ten and seventeen may be committed here. All expense of maintenance and education 
 are paid by the State of Illinois and the relatives are not required to reimburse the state for this service. 
 This school has been in operation almost twenty years and during that time between seventy-five hundred 
 and eight thousand boys have received training here. On April 15, 1925 there were 750 actually present 
 in the school, and 850 boys on parole, who are visited and supervised by the division of Pardons and 
 Paroles of the State Department of Public Welfare. 
 
 The Academic Department of the school which is in charge of a corps of seventeen trained instruc- 
 tors is a branch of the public school system of Illinois and is housed in a modern school building. The 
 school course covers the first eight years work as described by the Illinois Slate Course of Study, upon 
 completion of which pupils are awarded diplomas. All eighth grade graduates are entered in the commer- 
 cial class in which the Gregg system of shorthand is taught, together with the accompanying studies given 
 in the regular Gregg Stenographic Course, including typing. The Palmer method of business penmanship 
 is taught. Last year there were forty graduates from the eighth grade. 
 
 II
 
 Preparing Si^ lor Lincoln Cabin
 
 There is an attractive library containing about two thousand volumes, and the books have been 
 approved by the Illinois Library Extension Commission. 
 
 In a school of this kind, military training is almo^ a necessity because it teaches prompt obedience 
 and the discipline of the institution is handled in an orderly ■way. The military organization consisting of 
 ten companies is in charge of a trained military officer, and the band of thirty-five pieces is in charge of the 
 bandmaster. Weather permitting, every Sunday afternoon dress parade is held on the campus which is 
 usually well attended by visitors from surrounding tow^ns. 
 
 Religious services are held every Sunday, Protestant services in the Amusement Hall, and Catholic in 
 the Auditorium of the School. Churches of other denominations hold services at different times. 
 
 The school has a magnificent Gymnasium building with swimrning poo'. The building and equip- 
 ment costs $75,000.00, the money being donated by the Commercial Club of Chicago. 
 
 The health of boys is looked after by a physician, two trained nurses, and a full time dentist. The 
 school has a modern up to date hospital building fully equipped. 
 
 The farm department is organized in eight units w^here boys are cared for in colonies. 
 
 Pure whole milk is a very important factor in feeding the youth of this school and the production from 
 our one hundred ten dairy cattle is nowf about one hundred eighty gallons daily, which enables the man- 
 agement to supply almost a quart of whole milk each day, both to the boys and officers of the school. The 
 dairy cattle are now^ entirely free from tuberculosis. The old herd was disposed of some time ago and the 
 present one consists of cattle purchased w^hich were tested and certified to be free from this dreaded disease. 
 Furthermore the present management has discontinued the issuance of separated milk to the boys and is now 
 furnishing whole milk. The milk separators and churn have been dismantled and discontinued, and now 
 instead of supplying the officers with butter from the milk intended for the boys it is purchased on the 
 market. 
 
 Work is one of the best medicines for the delinquent boy, and the school is administering considerable 
 of this medicine in the wa}' of industries. The boys manufacture all of the clothing, and make all the shoes 
 worn by boys. They operate a carpenter shop, print shop, machine shop, tin shop, blacksmith shop, do all 
 of the repairing of harness, shoeing of all the horses, and looking after the blacksmithing necessary on the 
 farms and about the transportation depaitment. One of the most important departments is the bakery where 
 bread, cookies and pies are made for the officers and boys. 
 
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 Boy's Lake from Lincoln Log Cabin
 
 A new department recently established is the rug weaving department where waste materials such as 
 discarded uniforms, socks, overalls, shirts and other articles are converted into rugs. This new industry 
 has not only added greatly to the appearance of the interior of the buildings but as an occupational therapy 
 has been of great benefit to the boys. 
 
 Play is just as important as work in caring for these boys and the school is well equipped with playground 
 apparatus, a mile race track for athletic field sport, and several base ball diamonds. The management 
 believes that "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" therefore recreation and play are encouraged. 
 
 A monthly magazine "The Boy Agriculturi^," is published and di^ributed free of charge to people 
 throughout the ^ate. 
 
 The boys have also constructed a large reser'/oir or lake, the v*rork being done during a school vacation. 
 Then a pavillion was erecfled on its shores, with cooking ranges convenient, so our boys may have an occa- 
 sional ta^e of camping life so dear to youth. 
 
 They have also built a fountain on the shore of the lake from which a two inch ^ream of pure wa- 
 ter is continually discharged and flows into the lake. A beautiful little island in the lake makes a pretty 
 pidture and furnishes a wonderful place for a party or picnic for the boys. Duck island, so named because 
 of the large number of ducks on the lake is gained by crossing a new bridge known as Character Bridge. 
 They call the fountain the Fountain of Youth. We have a zoo, which contains two bears, four foxes, two 
 monkeys, a v^rolf and many other smaller animals; also a beautiful swan. Many of these have been present- 
 ed by friends of the boys' school. 
 
 Many of our citizens look on this invitation as a prison but it is more of a rural school, away from 
 citv environment where the boys may be properly trained. There is no Vone wall surrounding the inVi- 
 tution and no cells in which boys are confined. Kindness and strict discipline are the slogans of the inVi- 
 tution. 
 
 Among the recent improvements at the St. Charles School for Boys which represents work done by 
 boy inmates, is; Adams Stone Gateway and Fence along the Lincoln Highw^ay. The gateway has been 
 embellished by the planting of shrubbery, and the front driveway his been decorated by a row of shade 
 trees planted on each side, together with a cement walk leading from the Highway to the AdminiVration 
 Building. The Sinton house on the 200 acre farm recently acquired by the State has been completely re- 
 modeled, and the addition to the Industrial Building has been finished An old dairy barn has been con- 
 verted into a root cellar, and numerous sheds for housing farm implements have been conVructed. The horse 
 barn was also remodeled into an automobile repair shop.
 
 Boy's Lake with Amusement Hall in Background
 
 Another view of the log cabin, showing rail fence in front
 
 Printed by the Class in Printing 
 
 St Charles School for Boys 
 
 St. Charles, Illinois
 
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