Young America Band

City: Springfield

County: Sangamon

State: Illinois

The Young America Band was a brass band that was active in Springfield between at least 1857 and 1860. The band performed at Springfield civic events such Fourth of July celebrations, parades in honor of George Washington’s birthday, and school exhibitions, and it also traveled to surrounding communities to perform. Abraham Lincoln attended events at which the band performed. The name of the band seems to link it to the Young America movement, a Democratic political coalition that was closely associated with Stephen A. Douglas, but the Young America movement was largely defunct by the mid-1850s and the band performed at Republican events. Jackson A. Hough served as president of the band and Henry Abel as secretary.

Daily Illinois State Journal (Springfield), 8 May 1857, 3:1; 23 February 1858, 3:1; 7 April 1859, 3:1; Illinois Daily State Journal (Springfield), 27 April 1860, 3:2; 6 June 1860, 3:3; Daily Springfield Republican (IL), 6 July 1857, 3:2; The Illinois State Journal (Springfield), 31 March 1858, 4:3; 2 February 1859, 4:2; 10 June 1921, 6:5; Illinois State Chronicle (Decatur), 1 September 1859, 3:2; David B. Danbom, “The Young America Movement,” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 67 (June 1974), 294-306.