History of The Lincoln Association of Jersey City
In April of 1865, shortly after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln,
a small group of business and civic leaders in Jersey City met after hearing word of the President’s assassination. They gathered to mourn the nation’s loss; a loss that each felt very deeply. That night they vowed to meet each year on the anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, February 12th, to celebrate his vision, courage and sacrifice. For over one and half centuries, despite the Great Depression, two World Wars, and numerous incidents of inclement weather, the successors of that first group of civic leaders have never failed to meet on President Lincoln’s birthday to celebrate his life. No other organization in the country has a longer record of honoring the Great Emancipator.
The annual Lincoln Day festivities begin with a wreath laying at the statue of Abraham Lincoln at the entrance to Lincoln Park https://njcu.libguides.com/lincolnpark at Belmont Avenue and John F. Kennedy Boulevard https://www.visithudson.org/things-to-do/attractions/lincoln-the-mystic-memorial/. Later that evening, the Association gathers for its annual banquet honoring Lincoln and his legacy. A keynote speaker is the focal point of every banquet. Previous keynote speakers include former Presidents William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt and Nobel Prize winner Ralph Bunche.
Learn more about the history of the Lincoln Association and Lincoln’s relationship to Jersey City here: https://njcu.libguides.com/lincolnassociation
Lincoln Park and "Lincoln the Mystic"
In the late 1920’s members of the Lincoln Association began raising funds to erect a statue to Lincoln at the eastern entrance to what was then known as West Side Park. Noted sculptor James Earle Fraser, famous for his design of the buffalo nickel, was chosen to design the monument. Fraser designed a seated version of the president, deep in thought, and entitled it “Lincoln the Mystic”. To raise the money necessary to construct the monument, members of the public sold subscriptions for 25 cents each and the final $3,500 needed was provided by local schoolchildren who contributed pennies and nickels.
On June 14, 1930, before a crowd of nearly 5,000 people, the monument was formally dedicated at the intersection of Belmont Avenue and Hudson (now John F. Kennedy) Boulevard. Soon therafter, at the urging of the Lincoln Association, West Side Park was officially re-named after President Lincoln.
The following February 12th, the Lincoln Association began another tradition: members gathered at the foot of the monument to hear recitations of the Lincoln’s most cherished speeches and to lay a wreath. The ceremony has continued every year since, regardless of weather.
