Your guide to Lincoln attractions on the 19th Century Taylorville Square listed on National Register of Historic Places.

Walk in Lincoln’s footsteps!
Abraham Lincoln practiced law, slept, swapped stories and hitched his horse on the square, once the site of the original 1839 Christian County Courthouse. Called “the last stop,” Taylorville was the last place Lincoln and fellow lawyers stopped as they rode the old Eighth Judicial Circuit home to Springfield (1839-1853).

Rub the pig’s nose for good luck!
‘The Last Stop’ statue Northwest corner of the Christian County Courthouse lawn
This life-size bronze celebrates Taylorville’s unique story of Lincoln’s request for a “writ of quietus” to calm squealing village pigs gathered under the 1839 courthouse during a trial. Donated by local contractor Monte Siegrist and family, the sculpture was unveiled in May 2005 as the world’s only statue of Lincoln and a pig (named “Liberty” by school children). Lincoln’s bemused expression is rare in an artwork.

‘Take home a pig portrait!’
‘The Last Stop’ statue site
Trace a rubbing of a pig icon on Lincoln vs. courthouse pigs storyboard.

Courting Lincoln
East side of lobby at the Christian County Courthouse
Legally Lincoln memorabilia launches an emerging museum.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Closed holidays.

Lincoln up close
Outdoor murals - Duke’s Office Supply, Southeast corner of square
Ten paintings portray a relaxed and humorous Lincoln as a family man, friend and lawyer prior to the presidency’s burdens. The artwork reflects years of research and artistry by Taylorville Junior High School art teacher Cindy Adams. A painting of Lincoln and pigs by local artist Gary Decourcy adorns a brick arch.

Pigs on Parade
The Best 4 Less card shop, South side of square
Look up to see Lincoln and pigs in a giant silhouette over the shop entrance.

Shopping with Abe

“The Ballad of Mr. Lincoln’s Pig” CDs $5	“A Lincoln Attorney at Law” DVDs $14.99	Lincoln Statuette $29.95

Postcards; miniature pigs; books and other souvenirs abound at square-area retail locations including Cottage Rose Gifts and Crafts, Breeze-Courier Newspaper, The Best 4 Less and Emmerling Gift & Book Emporium.

Don’t miss these other historic Lincoln sites

Beam me up!
First Christian County Courthouse
Christian County Historical Museum
Near intersections of IL 29 South and IL 48

Visitors walk under the same rugged beams that sheltered Lincoln during trials, including his “writ of quietus” request to silence village pigs raising a ruckus under the floor. “The last stop” on the old Eighth Judicial Circuit, the 1839 white frame building originally occupied the center of the Taylorville Square. Authentic specifications aided restoration of this stellar example of rustic prairie courthouse architecture. Stephen Douglas also plied his trade here. Hours: April 1-Nov. 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Dec. 1-March 31, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Call 217-824-6922. Modest admission.

Believe it or not!
Christian County Historical Museum
The world’s only portrait of Lincoln made from chicken feathers is on display in the museum’s Woodall Building. The head to toe wonder was created in the early 1940s by a local artist.


Amble with Abe
Lincoln Prairie Trail
Taylorville entrance/exit on Pawpaw Street
Near intersections of IL 29 South and IL 48
The hike and bike trail follows historic rail bed 15 miles between Taylorville and Pana. Rustic bridges, wild flowers, prairie plants, songbirds and woodlands create a scenic sanctuary. If trees could talk: Circuit-rider Lincoln traveled here.

Salute to a soldier
Oak Hill Cemetery
820 S. Cherokee St.
A bronze statute of a Union soldier stands heroically atop an elaborate granite base produced by Barton and Hilton Steam Granite Works, a once flourishing downtown business known for artistic and technical expertise. Dedicated in 1895, the Soldiers and Sailors monument stands sentry over thousands of graves dating to 1842.