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Shedd Aquarium

Alton's National Cemetery

600 Pearl St., Alton, IL 62002

Historic Sites

Fought on American soil, the Civil War was the deadliest war in American history.

More than three million men fought in this "war between the states" that claimed the lives of more than 62,000 soldiers. An estimated 263 Union soldiers are buried in Alton's National Cemetery. The men often died of disease at the Alton Hospital or on-board steamboats passing up the Mississippi River.

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Stand the same ground once stood as Abraham Lincoln and Stephan A. Douglas near the Alton riverfront.

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Confederate Prison Site

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Visit first Illinois State Penitentiary and learn about the ghastly history of the overcrowded, often disease-infested prison. Today, it is a monument dedicated to those who…

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Underground Railroad Shuttle Tours

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Discover the story of the Underground Railroad throughout Alton, IL.

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