Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site
Encyclopedia
The Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site is a historic county courthouse
located in Mount Pulaski, Illinois
, United States
. It was the county seat
of Logan County
from 1848 until 1855. It is one of only two remaining courthouses from Illinois's Eighth Circuit, the circuit on which central Illinois lawyer
Abraham Lincoln
carried out much of his practice of law. The courthouse is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
as a state historic site. Visitors are given guided tours of the recreated county offices and courtroom.
, located close to the center of the county. Frame courthouses were especially vulnerable to fire, and county leaders began looking for a community that would subsidize the construction of a masonry structure. Mount Pulaski citizens combined to contribute $2,700 toward the $3,000 of a simple Greek Revival brick structure. This two-story brick building stands today as the Mount Pulaski Courthouse.
When the new courthouse was built in 1848, Abraham Lincoln of nearby Springfield
was representing central Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives. Returning to Illinois in 1849, he resumed the practice of law in the Eighth Circuit, and often visited the Mount Pulaski courthouse. Mount Pulaski is located 25 miles (40 km) north of Springfield, a day's journey by the horse and light buggy that Lincoln used.
Mount Pulaski is located in the southeastern quarter of Logan County. In the early 1850s, developers built a railroad, which would become the Chicago and Alton Railroad, northeastward from Springfield through Logan County. The new railroad became the focus of county development, and it did not go near Mount Pulaski. The railroad and county leaders agreed to move the Logan County seat once again, to a location very near the center of the county and directly on the new railroad line. The new county seat was named Lincoln, Illinois
, after lawyer Lincoln, who by this time had made many friends throughout the county. The decision was affirmed by county voters in a referendum in 1853, and the court and county government had moved away by 1855.
County leaders' fear of fire proved to be well-founded in 1857, when a blaze destroyed the relocated county records, including the dockets of the Logan County circuit court. As a result, very little is known of Lincoln's specific legal cases in Logan County during the Mount Pulaski interval.
Illinois Governor Henry Horner
launched a statewide search in the 1930s for surviving public buildings with which Lincoln had been familiar. Mount Pulaski gave the old brick courthouse building to the state of Illinois in 1936, and the state extensively restored it in 1936–1939 to resemble its function as the 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...
located in Mount Pulaski, Illinois
Mount Pulaski, Illinois
Mount Pulaski is a city in Logan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,701 at the 2000 census, and 1,577 at a 2009 estimate. It is the home of the Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was 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 Logan County
Logan County, Illinois
Logan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 30,305, which is a decrease of 2.8% from 31,183 in 2000...
from 1848 until 1855. It is one of only two remaining courthouses from Illinois's Eighth Circuit, the circuit on which central Illinois lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
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...
carried out much of his practice of law. The courthouse is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Illinois. It is tasked with the duty of maintaining most State-owned historic sites within Illinois, and maximizing their educational and recreational value to visitors....
as a state historic site. Visitors are given guided tours of the recreated county offices and courtroom.
1848-1855: courthouse
Prior to 1848, the people of Logan County used a frame courthouse, now the Postville Courthouse State Historic SitePostville Courthouse State Historic Site
The Postville Courthouse State Historic Site is a now-reconstructed county courthouse in Logan County, Illinois in the United States. The original frame courthouse was built in 1840, and the current courthouse, which is a close replica of the first, was built in 1953...
, located close to the center of the county. Frame courthouses were especially vulnerable to fire, and county leaders began looking for a community that would subsidize the construction of a masonry structure. Mount Pulaski citizens combined to contribute $2,700 toward the $3,000 of a simple Greek Revival brick structure. This two-story brick building stands today as the Mount Pulaski Courthouse.
When the new courthouse was built in 1848, Abraham Lincoln of nearby 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...
was representing central Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives. Returning to Illinois in 1849, he resumed the practice of law in the Eighth Circuit, and often visited the Mount Pulaski courthouse. Mount Pulaski is located 25 miles (40 km) north of Springfield, a day's journey by the horse and light buggy that Lincoln used.
Mount Pulaski is located in the southeastern quarter of Logan County. In the early 1850s, developers built a railroad, which would become the Chicago and Alton Railroad, northeastward from Springfield through Logan County. The new railroad became the focus of county development, and it did not go near Mount Pulaski. The railroad and county leaders agreed to move the Logan County seat once again, to a location very near the center of the county and directly on the new railroad line. The new county seat was named Lincoln, Illinois
Lincoln, Illinois
Lincoln is a city in Logan County, Illinois, United States. It is the only town in the United States that was named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president; he practiced law there from 1847 to 1859. First settled in the 1830s, Lincoln is home to three colleges and two prisons. The three...
, after lawyer Lincoln, who by this time had made many friends throughout the county. The decision was affirmed by county voters in a referendum in 1853, and the court and county government had moved away by 1855.
County leaders' fear of fire proved to be well-founded in 1857, when a blaze destroyed the relocated county records, including the dockets of the Logan County circuit court. As a result, very little is known of Lincoln's specific legal cases in Logan County during the Mount Pulaski interval.
After 1855
The people of Mount Pulaski reused the former courthouse for various purposes. From 1857 until 1878 it served as the town school, from 1878 until 1889 it was the city hall and community center, and from 1889 until 1936 it was the town library and post office.Illinois Governor Henry Horner
Henry Horner
Henry Horner was the 28th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1933 to 1940, when he died in office. Horner was the first Jewish governor of Illinois.- Political biography :...
launched a statewide search in the 1930s for surviving public buildings with which Lincoln had been familiar. Mount Pulaski gave the old brick courthouse building to the state of Illinois in 1936, and the state extensively restored it in 1936–1939 to resemble its function as the county courthouse.