Our state is known far and wide as the Land of Lincoln, but there’s only one U.S. presidential birthplace in Illinois – and it’s not Abraham Lincoln’s. You’ll find it in the small town of Tampico, which is located just east of Moline in the northern part of the state, and it belongs to Ronald Reagan.
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president, had a significant presence in Illinois - so much so that the state has come to be called “The Land of Lincoln.”
The White House Despite his strong ties to the state, Lincoln was born in Kentucky and didn’t settle in Illinois until he was 21 years old.
The only president who was actually born in the Land of Lincoln was number 40: Ronald Reagan.
The White House
Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, at 113 Main St. in Tampico, Illinois.
WV Almost Heaven (Montani Semper Liberi)/Google The site is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Ronald Reagan Birthplace Museum, itself, is housed in a brick storefront in downtown Tampico.
SneakinDeacon/TripAdvisor Reagan was born in an upper-level apartment in the building, which housed a bakery on its lower level at the time of his birth.
The home contains a few artifacts and Reagan memorabilia; it is furnished and arranged in the way it would have been at the time of the president’s birth.
TomStep123/TripAdvisor You can get a good feel for the history after spending about an hour in the museum.
Despite its small population - fewer than 800 residents - Tampico has much to be proud of.
Ivo Shandor/Wikimedia Commons Not only is it the birthplace of Ronald Reagan, but its entire Main Street district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
While we knew that Lincoln was born in Kentucky, we were surprised to learn that Illinois was the birthplace of only one president. Fortunately, he couldn’t have been born in a nicer town than Tampico. When planning to visit Tampico, be sure to check the museum’s website for the hours and days that it’s open before you go. Have you had a chance to visit the Ronald Reagan Birthplace Museum?
The White House
Despite his strong ties to the state, Lincoln was born in Kentucky and didn’t settle in Illinois until he was 21 years old.
WV Almost Heaven (Montani Semper Liberi)/Google
The site is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
SneakinDeacon/TripAdvisor
Reagan was born in an upper-level apartment in the building, which housed a bakery on its lower level at the time of his birth.
TomStep123/TripAdvisor
You can get a good feel for the history after spending about an hour in the museum.
Ivo Shandor/Wikimedia Commons
Not only is it the birthplace of Ronald Reagan, but its entire Main Street district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
If you’re in a presidential mood, be sure to head south and check out the state’s many Lincoln attractions and historic sites. In addition to Lincoln’s presidential library in Springfield, Illinois, will also be home to President Barack Obama’s presidential library. Strangely, neither president whose libraries are located in the state was born here, and Reagan chose California for the site of his presidential library.
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Address: Tampico, IL 61283, USA
