Beardstown Courthouse

Long before the "Beardstown Ladies" appeared in the media, Abraham Lincoln put this river town on the map, so to speak, when he tried a murder case two years before he was elected president. You'll find Beardstown about 45 miles northwest of Springfield, in the heart of Illinois farm country. As you approach the intersection of Routes 67 and 100 southeast of the Illinois River, you'll see a sign which proclaims Beardstown as the home of Lincoln's famous "Almanac Trial." Take route 67 to Sixth Street (the last street before the bridge) to State Street, turn left and proceed to Third Street. Lincoln's known association with the town goes back to March 1832, about 13 years after its settlement by Thomas Beard of New York. At the time Lincoln lived 35 miles away in New Salem, a pioneer village bordered by the Sangamon River. He had helped pilot the Talisman, a small steamboat up the river from Beardstown to the New Salem area and back. The work included clearing the river of obstructions and breaking up ice. In April 1832 he volunteered for service in the Black Hawk War and marched from New Salem to Beardstown, where he was elected captain of his company. The approximate site is marked in Schmoldt Park. After his military service, he traveled to Beardstown to pick up supplies for his store. When he became a lawyer, he tried cases in the town's courthouse.