The Wide Awakes Banner

Liberty & Union Campaign

An item of invaluable historical significance to Libertyville and Lake County with a connection to a nation-changing moment in U.S. history is in need of conservation.

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The Libertyville Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax deductible within the law.

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Liberty and Union Campaign Phase 2
Help us conserve the newly discovered second panel of
the Wide Awakes banner.

$10,000 raised of $25,000
7/30/26

Scroll down to learn more and explore Giving Levels.

  • THE FULL 6’ x 6’ BANNER

    It is made of black silk with gold lettering and includes a painted image of the Wide Awakes torchlight parade in Chicago.

  • DETAIL OF CRACKED PAINT

    The paint has dried over time leading to cracks and some paint loss.

  • DETAIL OF SPLIT SILK

    The banner bears a significant rip near the painted inscription of Otto Steitz's name.

Phase II

The Wide Awakes banner represents Libertyville's leadership role in a nationwide movement that helped elect Abraham Lincoln in 1860. The Libertyville Wide Awakes earned this one-of-a kind silk banner by having the largest marching delegation, compared to the number of town Republican votes in 1858, at an October 2, 1860 rally in Chicago, coming out ahead of many other Wide Awakes companies from all over Lake County, Illinois, and the Midwest.

In June 2025, the Libertyville Historical Society launched the Wide Awakes Banner Liberty and Union Campaign to conserve the banner. Thanks to our members and the Libertyville community, the campaign quickly hit its initial goal. The Wide Awakes banner was picked up by conservation experts in early September 2025. The first step? Removing the Wide Awakes banner from the case it has been in for 98 years.  

Nearly 100-year-old secret revealed

Two long-ago news articles suggested there was something on the reverse of the Wide Awakes banner, but neither Society records nor memory could confirm that. The banner has been in a case since 1927 showing only one side of the artifact.

Important relic is a dual treasure

The reverse of the Wide Awakes banner is a second, beautiful hand-painted panel making the prize banner earned in the grand rally on October 2, 1860 a double-sided proclamation of support for Abraham Lincoln and his running mate Hannibal Hamlin. Early research suggests it is a rare surviving example of 1860 election campaign materials which makes the artifact even more extraordinary.

Conservation requires separation of banners

To provide long-term support for both panels, they need to be separated.  Without separation, the Lincoln-Hamlin panel would be covered by the material required to strengthen the Wide Awakes panel and thus lost to history. So that both panels of the banner can be displayed for future generations, the Libertyville Historical Society is pursuing conservation and framing of the Lincoln-Hamlin panel in addition to the Wide Awakes panel.

Liberty and Union campaign continues

The initial fundraising won't cover the cost of preserving the newly discovered second panel. To conserve and display both panels, the Society will need to raise an additional $25,000.

The intention is to display the Wide Awakes and the Lincoln-Hamlin panels in a Cook Home room renovated to properly showcase these local and national treasures, telling the story of Libertyville’s leadership in our nation’s story. The extended fund-raising campaign will enable the Lincoln-Hamlin panel conservation and necessary accommodations for the display.

Read the full Case for Support. Scroll down to explore Giving Levels.

  • Before the November 1860 election, Abraham Lincoln was not the beloved figure he is today. However, Lincoln had passionate supporters. Among the most passionate were members of the Wide Awakes. A national, grassroots political organization, it supported the six-year-old Republican Party which opposed the expansion of slavery—a big issue in the years leading up to the American Civil War (1861-1865).

    The Wide Awakes acted as security escorts for political speech makers, and on election day they went street by street to encourage Republicans to vote while trying to sway all others to do the same. But their biggest impact was surely their spectacular nighttime parades, where they carried torches and wore military-style uniforms as they marched in formation—as portrayed on the banner.

    Known Libertyville Wide Awakes are James Hutchinson, Isaac Heath, R. H. French, and Edwin Parkhurst. The Society is working on identifying others. Was there a Wide Awake in your family? Let us know!

    Learn More:

    The Wide Awakes of 1860 (blog post)

    The Wide Awakes of 1860 (YouTube)

  • The campaign name is inspired by a bit of a mystery surrounding the banner. Two newspaper articles, one from 1860, the other from 1884 when the banner was discovered in someone’s attic, describe not only the front of the banner but also the back. The 1860 article describes the reverse as having ‘Lincoln and Hamlin, Liberty and Union’, and the 1884 article mentions an inscription. However, the Society’s intake record for the banner describes only the front of the banner suggesting that the banner remained secured in its case throughout its transition to the Society.

    The reverse side of the Wide Awakes banner had not been seen in nearly a century. The banner’s fragility prohibited its removal from the case without the specialized knowledge and handling of professional conservators.

    When conservators removed the banner, the mystery was solved. Attached on the reverse of the Wide Awakes banner is a second, beautiful hand-painted panel making the prize banner earned in the grand rally on October 2, 1860 a double-sided proclamation of support for Abraham Lincoln and his running mate Hannibal Hamlin. Early research suggests it is a rare surviving example of 1860 election campaign materials which makes the artifact even more extraordinary.

  • The story of the Wide Awakes is only now being fully told. The 2024 Jon Grinspan book, Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War, describes the Wide Awakes as “one of the largest, most spectacular, and most influential political movements in our history.”

    At the same time the story of Wide Awakes movement is finally being fully told, the banner representing Libertyville’s participation and leadership in this consequential club is rapidly disintegrating.

    The Liberty and Union Campaign to for the Wide Awakes banner is more than a preservation project—it’s a moment for the Libertyville Historical Society to underscore the vital importance of sharing and preserving historical knowledge. The banner provides a unique opportunity to engage in a shared appreciation of our past. By supporting this effort, you will contribute directly to ensuring that Libertyville’s story remains vibrant and relevant for generations to come.

  • Torchbearer Circle - $1000+

    • Thank you email / letter

    • Mention on Campaign website, in the newsletter, and on social media

    • Commemorative Publication after work is Completed

    • Commemorative vinyl sticker of the banner

    • Wide Awakes Banner Restoration Pin

    • Name displayed near the banner

    • Invitation to an exclusive reception and unveiling of the banner

    • Private tour of the Cook Home and Behind the Scenes for up to 10 people

    Liberty Advocate - $500-$999

    • Thank you email / letter

    • Mention on Campaign website, in the newsletter, and on social media

    • Commemorative Publication after work is Completed

    • Commemorative vinyl sticker of the banner

    • Wide Awakes Banner Restoration Pin

    • Name displayed near the banner

    • Invitation to an exclusive reception and unveiling of the banner

    Historic Preservation Partner - $250-$499

    • Thank you email / letter

    • Mention on Campaign website, in the newsletter, and on social media

    • Commemorative Publication after work is Completed

    • Commemorative vinyl sticker of the banner

    • Wide Awakes Banner Restoration Pin

    Wide Awake Supporter - $100-$249

    • Thank you email / letter

    • Mention on Campaign website, in the newsletter, and on social media

    • Commemorative Publication after work is Completed

    • Commemorative vinyl sticker of the banner

    Friends of History - Up to $99

    • Thank you email / letter

    • Mention on Campaign website, in the newsletter, and on social media

    • Commemorative Publication after work is Completed

  • Donate online above or

    send donations by check to: Libertyville Historical Society, 413 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Libertyville, IL 60048

    Thank you for your support!

  • Updated July 16, 2026

    Torchbearer Circle

    • Bob Crane

    • Dale Eggert

    • Joe Nemmers

    Liberty Advocate

    • Jenny Barry

    • Arlene Lane

    • Paulette Lightbody Peters

    • John Snow

    • Kay Thermos

    Historic Preservation Partner

    • James & Deborah Ader via National Philanthropic Trust

    • Suzzette Baumann

    • Charles & Maren Brumm

    • Jim Gasick

    • Pamela Krueger

    • Frances Skinner

    • Laurie Stein

    • Lynne & Stan Stetz

    • Chip & Mary Thompson

    Wide Awake Supporter

    • Craig & Lori Adams

    • Patricia & Robert Bleck

    • Charities Aid Foundation, Abbott

    • Marliyn Copeland

    • Daughters of the American Revolution, Ansel Brainerd Cook Chapter

    • Diane Eubanks

    • Kathleen Gasick

    • Katherine Hamilton-Smith

    • Romain A. Howlett III

    • Ellen Jennings

    • Joan & Kevin Jennings

    • Heather Johnson

    • Barbara & Thomas Klein

    • Lynn Kublank

    • Sara Lawton

    • Heather Mazzeno

    • Alison McCoach

    • Anthony Repp

    • Joseph Salvatore

    • Linda Sisterman

    • William & Mary Ann Sparer

    • Stacey A. Thermos

    • Bob Wagenaar

    • Ellen Williams

    • Robert Wochinski

    • Quick Law, Matthew Quick

    Friends of History – Up to $99

    • Julia Acker

    • Dana Amann

    • Polly Andrews

    • Jen Barnabee

    • Charles Colodny

    • Michael & Suzanne Dolan

    • Marlyn Hackett

    • Dale Harris

    • Thor P. Jondahl

    • Brooke Kovalcik

    • Jeff Leffelman

    • Shirley Luebbers

    • Katherine M. Luetkemeier

    • Scott & Kay Manion

    • Steven & Beth March

    • Maria Martinez

    • Mirabella Marubio

    • David Petersen

    • Spencer Pfrogner

    • Mary Price

    • Christine & Stuart Pyle

    • Jaime Reyes

    • Michael Roach

    • James Seward & Kristi Robertson

    • Rebecca Sawle

    • Lisa Marie & Paul Smith

    • Ellen Sofie

    • Marjorie Stueckemann

    • Nancy Tassler

    • Sonja Velins

    • Cari Wizcebem

The support from the Libertyville community will help preserve this precious piece of village history and contributors will play a vital role in ensuring this fascinating link between Libertyville and Lincoln’s election remains available as an educational asset for generations to come…