PEORIA MAGAZINE February 2023

in his fourth term in the Illinois Legislature. Lincoln, leaning on the Illinois Constitution, argued for Nance’s freedom. The court agreed – and ended indentured servitude in Illinois – by ruling, “It is a presumption of law, in the State of Illinois, that every person is free, without regard to color. ... The sale of a free person is illegal.” Nance Legins-Costley and her husband would raise eight children in Pekin, where she became revered for her civic involvement. After her husband died in 1883, she went to live with her daughter and son-in-law at 226 N. Adams St. in Peoria. She died in Peoria at age 79 on April 6, 1892. At that, her story pretty much died, as well – until recent years. Part of the resurgence comes at the hand of historian Carl Adams, who has spent more than a quarter century researching her life. In 2016, his work resulted in the publication of Nance: Trials of the First Slave Freed by Abraham Lincoln . Adams, a former Illinoisan now living in Maryland, believes Lincoln’s interactions with Legins-Costley changed his ambivalent view on slavery into one that changed the course of U.S. history. “It was the case that convinced Lincoln about the evils of slavery,” Adams said. In recent years, Hoffer and other local history buffs pored over old records and discoveredMoffatt Cemetery – and its ignominious history. Aquilla Moffatt arrived in Peoria in 1822, building a home near the intersection of Southwest Adams and South Griswold streets. He established a small graveyard for family and friends, then added a plot for Union veterans. regarding the temporary display of two markers regarding the former Moffatt Cemetery in South Peoria. One marker honors Nance Legins-Costley, the first enslaved person whom Abraham Lincoln helped free. The other marker explains the history of the graveyard. A third marker, honoring 52 veterans buried there, has been on display at RiverPlex Recreation and Wellness Center. (Photo by Ron Johnson) Local historian Robert Hoffer speaks in November at the Peoria Riverfront Museum

In 1870, he sold the land to investors, who formed the Griswold Cemetery Association. But the site became so overcrowded with burials that the city ordered it shuttered in 1905. Abandoned, the site fell into over grown disrepair. In the 1950s, the land was cleared and sold to commercial in terests, withmuch of the area becoming paved over – though, purportedly, not until all of the graves had been relocated. But Hoffer and others discovered that only about 100 graves had been moved. Still there, under parking lots and commercial buildings, are the remains of about 2,600 Peorians, including 52 veterans. One is a Black soldier present at Galveston, Texas for the events now celebrated on the Juneteenth federal holiday. Among the civilian graves, one is that of Nance, though the exact spot is unknown. “She’s somewhere there,” Hoffer said. “There are no (specific) records.” Hoffer has led the charge to honor the gravesites with a memorial park. Through grants and private donations, the markers were crafted at $5,000 apiece. A lighted f lagpole will cost another $4,000. The memorial will sit on a small plot – about 80 by 80 feet – at the corner of South Griswold and Southwest Adams streets, just south of Moffatt Cemetery. The property is being

donated to the city by United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers Local 69, which owns property near the intersection. The site will be maintained by the Peoria Park District. As yet unscheduled, the installation of themarkers and flagpole will happen this spring. For the dedication, Hoffer plans to invite descendants of Nance Legins-Costley. “We want family there,” Hoffer said. Over time, he expects tourists and historians to frequent the spot. Mayor Rita Ali hopes for the same thing. “The Freedom & Remembrance Me morial is a true example of Peoria’s deep and rich history,” she said. “It reminds us of the past sins of our city, teaches us about Nance Legins-Cost ley, the first enslaved person Abraham Lincoln helped to free, and reflects the decades-long efforts of people deter mined to honor those long-forgotten souls buried at Moffatt Cemetery. “This fitting tribute … will boost tourism and attract history lovers from around the nation. It is, in fact, America’s history.”

Phil Luciano is a senior writer/columnist for Peoria Magazine and content contributor to public television station WTVP

FEBRUARY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 97