Visit Postville, where Lincoln argued cases

Despite local opposition, in 1929 Henry Ford bought
and dismantled the courthouse in Postville and had it set up again at his
Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mich. The courthouse became more valuable
to the community when they learned they were going to lose it, says Shirley
Bartelmay, coordinator of the Postville Courthouse State Historic Site in
Lincoln.

Starting in 1840, Abraham Lincoln had argued cases in
the courthouse as he rode the then Eighth Judicial Circuit, but in 1847 the
Logan County seat was moved to Mt. Pulaski and the courthouse was sold at
auction. It changed hands more than once, and one owner, Timothy Beach,
tried to sell it. When Ford sent a representative to look into the
courthouse, Mrs. Beach consented to Ford’s buying the building. She
said it would just become an empty shell if it stayed where it was. The
community couldn’t afford to keep it up. Many notables attended the
building’s grand opening in Greenfield Village on Oct. 21, 1929.

The community of Postville eventually
disappeared, and the place became part of Lincoln. The state began
construction of the replica on the original grounds in Lincoln, with the
exterior completed in 1953 and the interior three years later.

As visitors approach the building today, surrounded
by beautiful old trees, the first thing they encounter is the flower
garden, named for Mary Todd Lincoln. In the mid-19th century, most flowers
planted had a medicinal purpose, Bartelmay points out. In Mary
Lincoln’s garden outside the courthouse, for instance, Lamb’s
Ear plays a prominent role. It was used to stop bleeding.
“Older people are really interested in it,” Bartelmay says.

The first floor of the reconstructed building holds
various exhibits, like the rocker that Lincoln sat in many times at the
home of Sen. Malden Jones of Bourbonnais. The Jones family donated the
chair just last Christmas, though not with its original upholstery.
Bartelmay says all furniture in the building is from the 1840s.

Upstairs is the courtroom and an office for lawyers.
Arrival of the circuit riders in the spring and fall was a social event,
Bartelmay says. People turned out to greet the lawyers and Judge David
Davis or Judge Samuel Treat. “Everyone came to town on court
days,” Bartelmay says. The contingent stayed until all cases
were completed, with many people paying the attorneys in goods and not
cash. During the time Lincoln was on the circuit, he was also politically
active, being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1846.

The courtroom seems tiny by today’s standards.
Everything is small, from the judge’s desk to the lawyers’
table, which faces a wall and not the judge, to the six jurors’
chairs, to the two rows of spectator benches. On the lawyers’ table
are original documents.

The courtroom “was big enough for everyone who
had to be there,” Bartelmay says. People crowded into the room, which
must have at times been steamy, with flies coming in through open windows.
The overflow crowd sat on the floor to observe the proceedings. Candles
were stored in straw, so that when they melted from the heat they did not
meld together. Unfortunately, records of proceedings were destroyed in an
1857 fire.

Across the street, where the VFW Hall now stands, was
Deskins Tavern, with beds upstairs for visitors. In front of it was a pump
to a well from which they all drank water. During the town of
Lincoln’s sesquicentennial celebration, the well was opened, and 34
feet down the water was still there, but contaminated.

The office where lawyers worked contains newspapers
from 1847 and law books from
the era.

Maintained by the Illinois Historic Preservation
Agency, the courthouse hosts about 6,000 visitors every year. Earlier this
summer people from the Czech Republic came through, and earlier still some
Japanese. It has seen visitors from 23 foreign countries and 35 of the
United States. As the courthouse sits on Old Route 66, many people touring
the Mother Road also stop by.

The hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through
Saturdays. Bartelmay will open it by appointment. Call 217-732-8930 or
217-737-0979.

The site hosts special events throughout the year.
The 1800s Craft Fair, an annual event, is scheduled this year for Aug. 24
on the grounds. It features crafts and music from that era. A Christmas
Memories Quilt Show will be held from Oct. 28 through Nov. 9. The Christmas
Open House will be Dec. 6.

Linda Hughes of Springfield has worked for daily
newspapers in several central Illinois cities.

This article appears in Aug 21-27, 2008.