page_title: Oakland, Illinois
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Oakland, Illinois / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Front of the Dr. Hiram Rutherford House, located at 14 S. Pike Street in Oakland, Illinois, United States. Built in 1846, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
context_page_description: Oakland is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 880 at the 2010 census.
context_section_description: Oakland, formerly known as Independence, was platted in 1833.
  Pioneer doctor and abolitionist Dr. Hiram Rutherford moved to Oakland in 1840 to start his practice in the young town. He became a prominent citizen. Rutherford is most widely known for his involvement in the 1847 Matson Trial, which involved his friend Abraham Lincoln. A Kentucky slave owner, Gen. Robert Matson, annually brought slaves to work on his land near Oakland. One year, a family of slaves ran away from the farm and took refuge with Dr. Rutherford and Gideon Ashmore. Matson sued the men for harboring slaves; Rutherford and Ashmore countered that the slaves could not legally be held in a free state. Rutherford attempted to have Lincoln represent him in the case, but Lincoln had already agreed to represent the slave owner. Matson, represented by Lincoln, lost the case in Coles County court.
  Rutherford's home and office, as well as other historic sites, are maintained and available for tours.
caption: The home of Dr. Hiram Rutherford who was an abolitionist in Oakland and friend of Abraham Lincoln was involved in the 1847 Matson Trial, where he was charged with harboring runaway slaves and found not guilty.
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