Location: Smithfield Street & Fort Pitt Boulevard, Pittsburgh
On February 14, 1861, Lincoln visited Pittsburgh during a politically charged trip to Washington for the inauguration. Ten thousand Pittsburghers stood for hours in a cold rain to cheer his progress.
He spoke from the balcony of the Monongahela House at the intersection of Fort Pitt Boulevard and Smithfield Street. Given a solid majority of Allegheny County votes, he praised “the banner county of the state if not the entire union.”
Lincoln statement that “Labor being the true standard of value … a tariff should be arranged as to foster and protect the interests of all sections, the iron of Pennsylvania, the corn of Indiana, the reapers of Chicago” was met with enthusiastic demonstrations and cries of “that’s the doctrine!”
