On July 18, 1856, our future President Abraham Lincoln, did a speech in Sterling rallying for presidential candidate, John C. Fremont. Mr. Lincoln stayed the night at Sheriff Manahan’s home (presently called The Lincoln-Manahan Home). Mr. Lincoln slept on a sofa with two chairs placed at its end to accommodate his long legs. The Lincoln-Manahan House has been totally restored and turned into a museum of lifestyle in the 1850s by the Sterling/Rock Falls Historical Society.