Illinois Route 125 is a major 37.1 miles (59.71 km) highway in the central portion of the U.S. state of Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

. Illinois 125 runs east from the concurrent

Concurrency (road)

A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...

 U.S. Route 67

U.S. Route 67

U.S. Route 67 is a 1,560 mile long north–south U.S. highway in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues south as Mexican Federal Highway 16 upon crossing the Rio Grande. The northern...

 and Illinois Route 100

Illinois Route 100

Illinois Route 100 is a 157 mile highway in the southwest Illinois. It generally parallels the Illinois River. Starting in downtown Alton, it trends northward to Buckheart Township near Canton. It makes up much of the Illinois River Road, a U.S. National Scenic Byway...

 near Beardstown

Beardstown, Illinois

Beardstown is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,123 at the 2010 census. The public schools are in Beardstown Community Unit School District 15.-Geography:Beardstown is located at...

 to Illinois Route 97

Illinois Route 97

Illinois Route 97 is a north–south state highway in the central and western portions of the U.S. state of Illinois. It extends from exit 98 on Interstate 55 in Springfield northwest to U.S. Highway 150 near Galesburg. It crosses over the Illinois River on a bridge west of...

 in Farmingdale

Farmingdale, Illinois

Farmingdale is an unincorporated community in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. Farmingdale is west-northwest of Springfield....

, west of Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...

.

Route description

Illinois 125 lies within Cass County and Sangamon County

Sangamon County, Illinois

Sangamon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 197,465, which is an increase of 4.5% from 188,951 in 2000...

, and serves the towns of Ashland

Ashland, Illinois

Ashland is a village in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,333 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Ashland is located at ....

 and Virginia

Virginia, Illinois

Virginia is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,611 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cass County.-Geography:Virginia is located at ....

, the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Cass County.

IL-125 follows most of the route of the Sangamon Trail, a pioneer trail from Springfield, the state capital, to the Illinois River

Illinois River

The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...

. Points of interest directly located on IL-125 include Clayville, a pre-Civil War tavern located 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Pleasant Plains

Pleasant Plains, Illinois

Pleasant Plains is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 777 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Pleasant Plains is located at ....

, and the Illinois River bluff at Bluff Springs

Bluff Springs, Illinois

Bluff Springs is an unincorporated community in Cass County, Illinois, United States. Bluff Springs is located on Illinois Route 125 east of Beardstown....

, five miles (8 km) east of Beardstown and the river.

Points of interest marked on IL-125, but not directly on the road, include the Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area

Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area

The Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area is a conservation area located within Cass County in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in size. A mix of plowed upland prairie and Panther Creek woodlands, the site is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It is...

 in eastern Cass County northwest of Ashland, and the old Cass County courthouse

Courthouse

A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...

 in Beardstown where lawyer Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

 practiced.

History

SBI Route 125 originally ran from Springfield to Virginia. In 1968 it was extended west to Beardstown, replacing U.S. 67 and parts of Illinois Route 3

Illinois Route 3

Illinois Route 3 is a major north–south arterial state highway in southwestern Illinois. It has its southern terminus at Cairo Junction at the intersection of Interstate 57 and U.S. Route 51, and its northern terminus in Grafton at Illinois Route 100...

. The next year it was truncated on its eastern portion from Springfield to Illinois 97. There have been no changes to Illinois 125 since 1969.