The Land of Lincoln: Genesis of a Vernacular Region

Abstract

Abraham Lincoln is prominent in the business names across central Illinois. A review of Lincoln place and business names serves as the source to delimit the vernacular "Land of Lincoln." Lincoln as a town name is common in Illinois, although the state is not prominent as part of the overall nationalistic place-naming enterprise. Business names associated with the popularization of travel to Lincoln historic sites and the state's promotion of central Illinois as Mr. Lincoln's country serve as a gauge of the rise and extent of the Land of Lincoln. Within Illinois, the vernacular region focuses on Springfield and trends to the southeast where the Lincoln family entered the state.