Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Mount Pulaski Courthouse
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Western front and northern side
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | Public Sq., Mount Pulaski, Illinois |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1847 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 78001164 |
| Added to NRHP | August 3, 1978 |
The Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site is an old courthouse in Mount Pulaski, Illinois. It was the main government building for Logan County from 1848 to 1855. This courthouse is special because it's one of only two buildings left from the "Eighth Circuit." This was a group of towns where a famous lawyer named Abraham Lincoln worked a lot. Today, you can visit the courthouse and take a tour to see how things looked back then.
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A New Home for the County (1848-1855)
Before 1848, Logan County used a wooden courthouse. This old building is now called the Postville Courthouse State Historic Site. Wooden courthouses could easily catch fire. Because of this, county leaders wanted a stronger building made of brick or stone.
Mount Pulaski offered to help pay for a new courthouse. Citizens gave $2,700, which was most of the $3,000 needed. The new building was finished in 1848. It was made of brick and had two stories. This is the same building you can visit today. It was built in the Greek Revival style. This means it has features like triangles at the top (called pediments) and flat columns (called pilasters).
Abraham Lincoln's Visits
When the new courthouse opened in 1848, Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer from nearby Springfield. He was also serving in the U.S. House of Representatives at the time. When he returned to Illinois in 1849, he started working as a lawyer again. He often visited the Mount Pulaski courthouse.
Mount Pulaski is about 25 miles (40 km) north of Springfield. This was a day's trip by horse and buggy for Lincoln. He traveled around the "Eighth Circuit" to work on legal cases.
Why the County Seat Moved
Mount Pulaski is in the southeastern part of Logan County. In the early 1850s, a new railroad was built. This railroad, later called the Chicago and Alton Railroad, went northeast from Springfield. It passed through Logan County but did not go near Mount Pulaski.
The new railroad became very important for the county's growth. So, county leaders decided to move the county seat again. They chose a new spot closer to the center of the county and right on the new railroad line. This new town was named Lincoln, Illinois, after Abraham Lincoln. Many people in the county knew and liked him.
Voters in the county agreed to this move in 1853. By 1855, the court and county government had left Mount Pulaski. They moved all their offices to the new town of Lincoln.
Sadly, the fear of fire came true in 1857. A fire destroyed many county records in the new location. This included court papers from when Lincoln worked in Logan County. Because of this, we don't know much about the specific cases Lincoln handled there.
What Happened After 1855
Mount Pulaski was the county seat for only five years. After 1855, the courthouse building was used for many other things. It became a school, the city hall, a jail, and even the local post office.
In the 1930s, Illinois Governor Henry Horner looked for old public buildings that Abraham Lincoln had used. Mount Pulaski gave the old brick courthouse to the state of Illinois in 1936. The state then worked hard to restore it from 1936 to 1939. They wanted it to look just like it did when it was a busy courthouse.
The Mount Pulaski Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 3, 1978. It was recognized for its important role in local history. It was also noted for its beautiful and well-preserved architecture. Someone from the Logan County planning commission said it was "among the finest and best-preserved pre-1850 buildings in the state."
