Skip to main content

Search the middle of everything...

Shedd Aquarium

Elijah P. Lovejoy Monument

Alton Cemetery at Monument Ave., Alton, IL 62002

Historic Sites

Visit the monument of an amazingly persistent and inspirational freedom fighter, Elijah P. Lovejoy.

This monument memorializes Elijah P. Lovejoy, whose work and death in Alton gave him a place in history for the abolition of slavery. During the slavery era, Elijah Lovejoy was a pastor who wrote anti-slavery editorials so controversial he became an object of hatred by slaveholders. Despite threats to his life, he continued his anti-slavery writings in the Alton Observer, even after three of his printing presses were thrown into the Mississippi River. It was this persistence that led an angry pro-slavery mob to attack and kill him in 1837. Illinois 250

What's happening nearby...

Alton St. Pat's Pub Crawl

Morrison's Irish Pub  •  Mar 14 @ 11AM

Get your shamrocks ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Alton St. Pat's Pub Crawl in downtown. Explore all the green beer, corned beef and cabbage…

Read more about Alton St. Pat's Pub Crawl

You might also be interested...

Confederate Prison Site

Alton

Visit first Illinois State Penitentiary and learn about the ghastly history of the overcrowded, often disease-infested prison. Today, it is a monument dedicated to those who…

Read more about Confederate Prison Site

Confederate Cemetery and Memorial

Alton

Remember those who died in the infamous Alton prison in 1863 as you visit the Confederate Cemetery and Memorial in Alton, IL.

Read more about Confederate Cemetery and Memorial

Robert Wadlow Statue

Alton

Visit the statue of the tallest man in the world, Alton's Gentle Giant.

Read more about Robert Wadlow Statue

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get inspired by top travel stories, gain access to exclusive promotions and contests, and discover even more reasons to #EnjoyIllinois.