Lincoln’s Ottawa: Stories from Valley view

This driving tour is conducted from our “lady Carbonia” tour van and lasts approximately 1.5 hours. it has limited walking but, There are some stairs to navigate in Valley Vew. availability is EXTREMELY limited and this tour will sell out!

Abraham Lincoln in Ottawa

Walk in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln and discover the powerful legacy he left behind in Ottawa, Illinois. Lincoln’s Ottawa: Stories from Valley View brings history to life as we explore the places Lincoln visited during his time in Ottawa—including rare, inside access to the historic Valley View property c.1842, where Lincoln visited while traveling the 8th Judicial Circuit.

From the thunderous crowds of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas Debate to the quiet, personal moments Lincoln may have spent reflecting at Valley View, this tour reveals both the public and private sides of a man on the verge of changing a nation. Along the way, you’ll hear stories of the people who shaped his journey—local allies, fiery opponents, and everyday citizens whose lives intersected with Lincoln’s.

This is more than a history lesson—it's a behind-the-scenes look at Lincoln’s Ottawa, filled with insight, intrigue, and exclusive access to one of the city’s most storied homes.

Join us and experience the untold chapters of Lincoln’s legacy, right here in the heart of Starved Rock Country.

Theopolis Lyle Dickey

T. Lyle Dickey was a towering figure in 19th-century Illinois—lawyer, judge, Civil War officer, and a close personal and political associate of Abraham Lincoln. A skilled orator and respected legal mind, Dickey traveled the 8th Judicial Circuit alongside Lincoln, forming a bond rooted in shared ideals and courtroom camaraderie. Lincoln often stayed at Dickey’s stately home, Valley View, the hilltop estate just outside downtown Ottawa.

Dickey’s legacy reaches beyond the courtroom. His daughter, Martha Dickey, married Gen. William Hervey Lamme Wallace, a heroic figure who fought in key Civil War battles and was mortally wounded at Shiloh. Wallace was widely respected—some even called him “the bravest of the brave”—and was once considered by Lincoln for higher command before his untimely death.

This family’s deep ties to Lincoln, the Civil War, and the shaping of Illinois make their story an essential chapter in Ottawa’s past. Valley View, still privately owned today, offers rare insight into the domestic and political life of Lincoln’s trusted allies. Their lives, loves, and sacrifices echo through the rooms of that historic home and the rolling landscape that surrounds it.

Valley View- Home of T. Lyle Dickey

Perched on Ottawa’s North Bluff with a sweeping view of the city below, the stately home known as Valley View was built in 1842 by none other than T. Lyle Dickey—Civil War officer, respected judge, and one of the finest legal minds ever to call Ottawa home. But Dickey wasn’t just important for his résumé—he was known for his warm hospitality and his political fire, a lifelong Democrat who somehow managed to be both a fierce opponent of Abraham Lincoln and one of his closest friends.

When Lincoln traveled the 8th Judicial Circuit, he often stayed right here at Valley View, swapping stories, arguing politics, and sharing quiet evenings with Judge Dickey and his family. In fact, Dickey’s son Charles later recalled how “Pa and Abe Lincoln” would go back and forth in friendly debate right in the parlor. It’s this rare glimpse of Lincoln not as a monument, but as a guest, a friend, and a traveling lawyer that makes Valley View so extraordinary.

Yes—you get inside access to this incredible home on our Lincoln’s Ottawa: Stories from Valley View tour. Come walk where Lincoln stayed, argued, and laughed. History doesn’t get more personal than this.