Sunday’s awards ceremony preceded a presentation by Abraham Lincoln authority and author Wayne Temple, chief deputy director of the Illinois State Archives.

Temple’s presentation highlighted the Middletown Stagecoach Inn, which was one of the honored sites. It was Temple’s research that proved conclusively that Abraham Lincoln stayed at the inn on more than one occasion.

“So few buildings exist today where Lincoln actually trod on the floorboards,” Temple said.

He gave a history of the inn, which was built by John Deskins. The inn passed through several owners. Nelson and Mariah Davis were the owners during the time Abraham Lincoln stopped there.

After Nelson Davis died without a will, Thomas Davy Sr. purchased the property. He had returning Civil War soldiers dismantle the building and move it in sections to the countryside near Middletown. There it served as a home for the Davy family until 1935.

After the building was abandoned, the old Springfield Marine Bank donated it to the Middletown Historical Commission.

“I’ve never in my life seen a community pull together like they did (to save) the stagecoach inn,” Temple said, calling the structure “one of the most important spots in (Lincoln) history.”

On Jan. 6, 1986, after 11 years of planning, the 85-ton building was hauled from the farm site to lots in downtown Middletown that were donated by James and Patricia Glenn. Fifteen years later, through the use of grant money and donations of cash, labor and materials, the inn was ready for dedication.

On July 4, 2001, Temple gave the address and dedicated the inn with a cup of water from an abandoned well “that Lincoln certainly drank from when in Middletown.”

Phil Bertoni presented a plaque to Terry Steinhour and the Middletown Bi-Centennial Commission, which was heavily involved in saving the inn.

Another Middletown group was also honored. Paul Beaver presented a plaque to Winifred Golden and the Knapp-Chesnut-Becker Historical Society. That group is responsible for saving the oldest brick building in Logan County and turning it into a library and museum for the community.

Beaver also presented a plaque to the Mount Pulaski Historical Museum and Genealogical Research Center. That group brought two buildings on the downtown square back from the brink of destruction and turned them into a museum and a research center.

Wanda Rolhfs presented a plaque to the Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society, which has been collecting genealogical records of local families for 30 years. The society also purchased a building at 114 N. Chicago St. a few years ago and turned it into a research center.

Following the awards ceremony and Temple’s talk, the renowned Lincoln expert fielded questions from the audience. He affirmed that Abraham Lincoln was a chess player; spoke about Lincoln’s job surveying the post road through Middletown and Albany; and gave the audience some tips on determining a true Lincoln signature from a forgery.

Temple also discussed the political brilliance of the Emancipation Proclamation and told about Lincoln’s research that led to the capture of Norfolk, Va., during the Civil War.

“He made a good general,” Temple said.

At Postville Saturday, the winners of the Abraham Lincoln birthday card contest, sponsored by Lincoln’s Logan County Arts and Crafts Guild, were announced.

Julianne Funk, a second-grader at Zion Lutheran School in Mount Pulaski, won for grades one through three. Sage Conrady, a fourth-grader at Carroll Catholic School, won for grades four through five. Daniel Hemenway, a sixth-grader at Carroll, won for grades six through eight. The winner for grades nine through 12 was Timothy Carter, a home-schooled 11th-grader.

All of the entries will be on display in the Lincoln Public Library annex through the end of February. Contestants who want their cards back can pick them up at the library at the end of the month.