Elijah P. Lovejoy Monument

The Elijah Lovejoy Monument stands in Alton Cemetery, a tall column topped by a figure of Victory, erected in 1897 to commemorate the abolitionist newspaper editor who was murdered in Alton in 1837. Lovejoy, a Presbyterian minister and editor of the Alton Observer, was killed by a pro-slavery mob while defending his printing press — the fourth one destroyed in his attempt to publish anti-slavery journalism in a border state.

The monument is in a quiet part of the cemetery, and the surrounding graves include other figures from Alton's 19th-century history. It is a genuinely moving place for anyone interested in the history of free speech and the abolition movement. The cemetery is open during daylight hours; the monument is near the main entrance.

things to do sight architecture
A story
On the night of 7 November 1837, a pro-slavery mob attacked the warehouse where Elijah Lovejoy was guarding his fourth printing press. Three of his previous presses had been destroyed by mobs. He was shot and killed during the attack, becoming the first American journalist to die for freedom of the press. The murder galvanised the abolition movement nationwide — Wendell Phillips said it was the pistol shot that converted him to abolitionism.