Site of a Speech by Stephen A. Douglas

On July 6, 1860, Democratic presidential candidate Stephen A. Douglas attempted to woo the citizens of Hartford over to his side. Known as “Little Giant from Illinois,” Douglas spoke at the corner of Main and Pearl, his speech now commemorated by a plaque. A state's rights advocate in an abolitionist state, Douglas and his words—which have been lost to history—failed to persuade voters. He soundly lost the state in the election, ultimately losing the race to Abraham Lincoln.. Douglas passed away less than one year later. 

Why is there a plaque memorializing Douglas' forgotten stump speech? No one seems to know. And yet, there it is on an exterior wall in downtown Hartford. 

"The 'Little Giant' from Illinois and presidential candidate campaigned on this site," the plaque reads. Stephen Douglas was not Connecticut’s ideal candidate, as the state was home to many publicly anti-slavery voices, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, and William Loyd Garrison. Farmington, Connecticut, mere miles away from Hartford, was known as a strongly abolitionist town and a main point in the Underground Railroad. Yale University, too, was known for strong abolitionist leanings.

Given the context, it's hard to say why this tiny, obscure plaque exists. But exist it does—across the street from M&T Bank and right next to a CVS Pharmacy—inviting visitors to remember the "Little Giant" who could not persuade the people of Hartford.