Plaque text: "This marks the site of the Weddell House, opened June 25, 1847. Abraham Lincoln was a guest here on his way to his first inauguration, February 15, 1861. In a speech made at that time, from the balcony of this house, he said: 'A devotion to the Constitution; to the Union and to the laws; to the perpetual liberty of the people of this country. It is, fellow citizens, for the whole American people and not for one single man alone, to advance the great cause.' The Weddell House became Cleveland's most historic hotel. Among its noted guests were Horace Greeley, Salmon P. Chase, John Sherman, Jennry Lind and Louis Kossuth. In this building was founded the Board of Trade, the forerunner of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, July 7, 1848. Marked on the 125th anniversary of the founding of Cleveland, A.D. 1921. Hon. W. S. Fitzgerald, Mayor." | Creator: J. Mark Souther | Date: July 16, 2025Download Original File
