The Long Nine

The Long Nine was a nickname given to Abraham Lincoln and eight others who represented Sangamon County in the Illinois General Assembly during the 1836-1837 legislative session. All these men were at least six feet tall and shared similar political principles, hence the "long nine" appellation. The nine consisted of both senators and representatives: John Dawson, William F. Elkin, Ninian W. Edwards, Job Fletcher, Archer G. Herndon (pictured), Abraham Lincoln (pictured), Andrew McCormick, Daniel Stone, and Robert L. Wilson. (Archer Herndon was the father of William Henry Herndon, Lincoln's law partner in Springfield). Together they worked to move the state capital from Vandalia to Springfield. In 1837, the General Assembly approved moving the state capital, prompting grateful citizens of Athens, Illinois, to honor the Long Nine at a public banquet on August 3, 1837, in a building owned by Matthew Rogers. A native of Cooperstown, New York, Colonel Rogers, a veteran of the War of 1812, settled in the area around 1820 when he built the first cabin. During 1831-1832, when Lincoln lived in nearby New Salem, Rogers erected this frame building to house a general store and the town post office. The building today houses the Long Nine Museum.