Abraham Lincoln gave his historic Farewell Address to a crowd of more than 1,000 Springfield townspeople 154 years ago today.

Recently elected to serve as the nation’s 16th President, Lincoln was leaving Springfield en route to Washington D.C. when he gave the famous speech from a train platform. With the nation on the brink of Civil War, Lincoln’s speech was somber, telling the crowd “I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than which rested upon Washington.”

The speech was delivered at the Great Western Depot on 10th and Monroe Streets, a building that is still standing.

Learn more:
Abraham Lincoln’s Farewell Address Revealed His ‘Tragic Optimism’ (U.S. News & World Report)
Abraham Lincoln Online