Tilton: Named for Lincoln's Railroad Friend

Tilton, just west of Danville on the Vermilion County line, carries the name of a man who was a close friend of Abraham Lincoln. Colonel Lucian Tilton worked for the railroads, and he is remembered as a friend of Lincoln from Lincoln's years riding the circuit. The village was first platted in eighteen fifty-four under the name Bryant, and later platted again as Tilton.

The village itself dates its founding to eighteen eighty-four. Local tradition holds that Lincoln shared Thanksgiving dinner at Tilton's home at some point in the eighteen fifties, one of many domestic stops Lincoln made while riding circuit across central Illinois. Today Tilton sits just across the city line from Danville, and most travelers pass through without knowing the railroad manager whose friendship with a future president gave this small place its name.