- In the 1850s, William Tallman, who migrated from
the Burned-Over District of New York, built one of the largest
and grandest homes in the state.
A home now maintained as a museum
by the Rock County Historical Society.
- William Tallman came here from Rome, New York, where his
family had been involved in abolitionist activities.
Very possibly involved in some Underground Railroad activity.
- The house in Rome, New York, was a station on the Underground
Railroad, taking in escaped slaves, providing them
with accommodations, food and whatever they needed, passage,
money, and so forth, and sending them on their way
within the next few days.
He himself is kind of representative of this whole new
idea of coming west, the new man coming west.
- He came to this area
as kind of a typical western entrepreneur.
He got into land speculation.
- Tallman saw an opportunity in the lands
that were available in the west.
He thought it was a gamble.
And he came out here, purchased the land and almost immediately
upon returning home, started to advertise it,
and advertised it not just to make money.
His advertisements speak about
having "actual settlers" to come.
So, he's part of that general movement, encouraging people to
come westward
- He became probably, I'd say without doubt,
the richest man in Rock Country in the 1850s.
- A lot of his money he plowed back into the building of
"The Finest House in the Upper Midwest," as he said.
You know, a showplace.
? ?
- He used only the best material at the time.
Milwaukee Cream City Brick, Italian Marble,
French Polished Mirror Glass.
And he also included all the modern conveniences at the time.
As you go through the house,
you'll see that it has running water.
It has a communication system, ( bells ringing )
central heating,
and indoor privy,
which is a real hit with the third graders
when they come through to tour.
But if there was any sort of convenience that was available,
you name it, he put it in.
- As an active member of the recently-formed Republican
party, William Tallman's most famous houseguest was
an up-and-coming presidential candidate named Abraham Lincoln.
- This is the actual room where Lincoln slept.
And this is the bed that he slept in.
- Lincoln's visit came at a time when many in Janesville
were outraged by the efforts of southern states
to expand slavery into new, western territories.
- Well, there was a great deal
of abolitionist sentiment in Janesville.
As a matter of fact,
the area had a state-wide or area-wide reputation for being--
They called it a hotbed of abolitionist activity.
- Frederick Douglass, a freed slave
and leader of the abolitionist cause,
spoke twice in Janesville, each time drawing large crowds.
And Lincoln, an aspiring presidential candidate,
came to build on his growing reputation
as an opponent of the expansion of slavery.
- Lincoln was on a speaking tour, actually invited
to speak at the Wisconsin State Fair in 1859.
- The Republican Club of Beloit found out about this and issued
an invitation to him to come and speak in Beloit.
But William Tallman jumped in his buggy and went to Beloit.
He buttonholed Lincoln and said, "While you're here, would you
come and speak in Janesville?"
Lincoln, probably not understanding the rivalry
between the two communities, consented.
So, when he finished his speech at Hanset Hall in Beloit,
he got into Mr. Tallman's buggy,
and Mr. Tallman brought him north to Janesville.
He did make a very, very positive impression.
His speech did.
His appearance didn't.
And they said that he looked for all the world
like a farmer dressed up for circus day in the city.
The Janesville Gazette said,
"...his physiognomy was peculiar."
(laugh) His voice was high-pitched and squeaky.
But the power of his arguments against the spread of slavery
were so logical and so down-to-earth,
that even the most simple individual
could understand them and support them.
- The next year, Abraham Lincoln won the election.
But shortly after his inauguration,
southern states seceded from the union.
The nation, now split in two, plunged into civil war,
and Janesville's support for the Republican cause
was put to the test.
- That political enthusiasm for Republicanism was also expressed
in the number of men who stepped forward very early in the war.
It's always been claimed, and I've never seen it refuted
that proportionate to it's population, Rock County sent
more men to the Union Army in the Civil War
than any other county in the state.