Though she was scheduled to help welcomePresident Barack Obama to Illinois, Lt. Gov.Sheila Simon began her day by coming to Beard-stown to pay homage to our nation’s 16th presi-dent and keynote the dedication of theAudio/Visual Project.

Simon addressed an enthusiastic crowd at theOld Lincoln Courtroom & Museum during the July24th event. In addition to the dedication,Audio/Visual!Project donors and Friends of theCourtroom members were honored at a reception.

The Audio/Visual Project is the fulfillment ofCommissioner Connie Foley’s dream. Foley, whoserves as secretary of the Old Lincoln Courtroom& Museum Commission (OLCMC), came up withthe project idea after visiting a museum in Biloxi,Miss. When she described the concept, the com-mission immediately embraced the idea.

Visitors now can learn about the various aspectsof the museum through professionally producedEnglish and Spanish video presentations. Thevideos may be seen on the five monitors in variouslocations in the museum.

A student of Abraham Lincoln herself, Simonlauded those – especially the school children – who con-tributed the $10,000 needed to make the project a reality.Students collected $813.50 through the “Pennies for Lin-coln” campaign.

“There’s going to be a kid who speaks Spanish,” Simonsaid, “who is going to hit one of those displays and hearabout and be inspired by Abraham Lincoln and think,‘Maybe that’s something I can do. Maybe I can be thatgreat.’”

Simon also expressed her gratitude that Beardstown haspreserved the courtroom where Lincoln successfully de-fended William Duff Armstrong on May 7, 1858.

The lieutenant governor said she was heavily influencedby Lincoln since her own childhood, noting that her father,the late Sen. Paul Simon (D., Ill.), was a student of Lincolnand the author of the book “Lincoln’s Preparation for Great-ness: The Illinois Legislative Years.”

The event began with retired Commissioner George Bellleading the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioner Leigh Mor-ris served as emcee.

Following Simon’s remarks, Commissioner Chris Massie

presented the lieutenant governor with several historicalbooks from the museum’s gift shop.

Commissioner Ann Chelette then introduced the peopleinstrumental in the development and implementation of theAudio/Visual Project. A plaque now hangs in the center hall-way of the museum in recognition and appreciation of thesevolunteers:

Bob Osborne – Computers; Nathan Carls – English Lan-guage Narrator; Maricella Chavez – Spanish Language Nar-rator; Jim Crum – Construction; Kathy Haut – ScriptTranslator; Circuit Judge Bob Hardwick; Milt McClure – Al-manac Trial Narrator; Suzanne McClure; Ross Foley; OldLincoln Courtroom & Museum Commissioners: PaulaWoods, Ann Chelette, Leigh Morris, Dale Robertson, ChrisMassie, Randal Reichert - all responsible for the research,scripts, and editing and Connie Foley – A/V Project Chair.

Foley explained how the idea of the monitors turned into areality and thanked all the donors, school children and vol-unteers who brought the project to fruition.

Following the dedication ceremony, refreshments and fel-lowship, as well as viewing of the five new monitors, wereenjoyed by all in attendance.

LLiinnccoollnn NNeewwsslleetttteerrLLiinnccoollnn NNeewwsslleetttteerrThird Quarter 2013

A publication of the Old Lincoln Courtroom & Museum CommissionBeardstown, Illinois

Lt. Gov. Simon lauds A/V project

Commissioner Connie Foley (left) discusses the Audio/Visual Projectwith Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon while Beardstown Mayor Steve Pattersonlooks on.

July 24, 2013 ~ a day to remember

Do the spirits of those long past still haunt Beardstown?On Sunday, Oct. 20, your guide will lead you through the

streets of historic Beardstown in search of the eerie and funfolklore of this river city.

Join us for this family-friendly, walking tour. It is an en-joyable way to spend an autumn evening.

However, space is limited, so make your reservationstoday by calling 217-323-3225.

For the fourth year, the Old Lincoln Courtroom & Mu-seum has been invited to display a Christmas tree at Illinois’Executive Mansion in Springfield.

We have been told that we will have the same spot that wehave held for the past two years – on the second floor nearthe doors that lead onto the porch above the ground floor en-trance.

We hope that you will plan to visit the mansion during theChristmas season to see our tree and those from other Illi-nois historic sites.

Spirits return OLCM Xmas tree

OLCM’s 2012 tree designed by Theresa Kleinschmidt. Hertheme was “Windows of Time.” The primary ornaments wereher original design of the windows of the courthouse fromoutside with pictures of interior scenes behind the “glass.”

The Looking for Lincoln (LFL) coalition has been work-ing for about four years on a proposal to have the CentralIllinois area designated as the Abraham Lincoln National

Heritage Area (ALNHA). Looking for Lincoln is respon-sible for the Wayside Exhibits in Beardstown and around thestate.

Numerous meetings at various locations were held atwhich interested parties from different historic sites metwith professional consultants to formulate a proposal topresent to the National Park Service. After much discussiona proposal which included a broader focus than Lincoln sitesalone was decided upon.

This proposal has been accepted by the National ParkService. A swath of Central Illinois from the Indiana Borderto the Mississippi River and from Peoria and Ottawa on thenorth to Alton on the south was designated as a national her-itage area in July.

A meeting of the Steering Council of ALNHA was heldSept. 6. Details about this very important undertaking willbe reported in future issues.

The display committee took several weeks of hiatus butare now back in full swing.

All members were present to help move items from thefirst floor to the second due to the flood threat. What goesup must come down and so the committee has been busyrestoring items to their previous positions. Members of theteam are Dottie Gholson, Melanie Schroll, Ellie Meyer,Alice Lou Gramann and Connie Foley.

One major project has been sorting through many docu-ments, pictures and newspaper articles to establish cate-gories for future placement into archives.

A project that was just completed is a wall dedicated toBeardstown’s Little League Program. Stop in and see this aswell as many more interesting and informative additionswhich are always evolving as we sort through donated items.

Commissioners

Paula Woods, Chair – 217-323-4514Dale Robertson, Vice Chair – 217-323-3344

Connie Foley, Secretary – 217-323-5205Ann Chelette, Treasurer – 217-323-2559

Chris Massie – 217-997-5971Leigh Morris – 217-323-2668

Randy Reichert - 217-323-4597

The Old Lincoln Courtroom & Museum CommissionPO!Box 381

Beardstown IL 62618E-mail: lincolncourtroom@hotmail.com

Web: LincolnInBeardstown.org

It’s just trivial“This just in. TheOLCM!will hold their Annual Trivia Nite Nov. 2.Plan to attend foran evening of great fun!”

Join us for a strolldown Memory Lane

Rememberwhen Jack

Webb touted Fatimas?

When theBeatles invaded

America?

How aboutThe Shadow?

Saturday, Nov. 2Cafe from Yesterday, Beardstown

5:00 p.m. Food Served6:00 Game Begins

$10 per person for gameCall 217-323-2668 for information

Looking for Lincoln

Display Committee

Won’t you be our friend?Commissioner Emeritus Suzie McClure launched the

Friends of the Courtroom in 2006.Those with an interest in our efforts were encouraged to

become a Friend by contributing $25, $50, $100, $500 ormore.

Since then. Friends of the Courtroom has grown and thefunds received have allowed the Old Lincoln Courtroom &Museum Commission to take on improvement projects thatotherwise would not have been possible.

If you are a Friend, please accept our heartfelt thanks forsupporting the Old Lincoln Courtroom & Museum. You haverecognized that our building and its content are truly a jewelworth preserving and enhancing.

If you have not yet joined the Friends, please considerdoing so. You can become a member with a gift of $25 or alarger amount.

And we hope you will do more than send a check. We en-courage you to visit the Old Lincoln Courtroom & Museum.If you haven’t been in the building in a few years, you willbe both surprised and pleased by what you will find. Thereis, of course, the new Audio/Visual Project. The DisplayCommittee has improved our exhibits. And our gift shopnow has items for every taste andbudget. The welcome mat is out for you.

Below is a listing of those who havesent in their gifts for 2013.

Mr. Lincoln’s Friend Annual Gift $25.00

John, Alecia & Paul CroweMike & Phyllis Dour.Millard FloristGlenn &!Patricia HankinsEarl & Doris McKenzieMike & Cristy NordsiekCharles & Judy TaylorVirginia Thompson

Mr. Lincoln’s BarAnnual Gift $50.00

First National Bank of ArenzvilleCarl & Anna Marie HoodJoan KorsmeyerWilliam J. & Dorothy G. LeistritzPassport ClubDale Lee Robertson

Mr. Lincoln’s BarristersAnnual Gift $100.00

J. Steven BeckettArline BlyBob & Carol BurgetJess & Ann CheletteDelphos Herald, Inc. - Murray Cohen,

PresidentMr. & Mrs. Ross FoleyMary GistCarol Hegener KinzerMr. & Mrs. Norman KorsmeyerMr. & Mrs. Willard KorsmeyerDorothy LambIrene LamkinFairy E. LaunerLeigh & Norma MorrisRandal & Sue ReichertRobert W. Sudbrink in memory of Milton McClurePaula Woods

Mr. Lincoln’s Judges Chambers:Annual Gift $500.00

Pastor Douglas & Lisa Evenson

Did you find your name on the 2013 list? If you have yetto make your contribution for this not so new year, pleasetake a moment to send your gift to use. You can use thehandy form on this page.

Your gift will make a very real difference.

Friends of the Old Lincoln Courtroom & Museum

Yes, I wish to become a Friend as follows:

_ Mr. Lincoln’s Friend: Annual Gift $25.00_ Mr. Lincoln’s Bar: Annual Gift $50.00_ Mr. Lincoln’s Barristers: Annual Gift $100.00_ Mr. Lincoln’s Judges Chambers: Annual Gift $500.00

_ I prefer to become a lifetime member of Mr. Lincoln’s Supreme Court.My pledge is in the amount of $_____________.

Method of Contribution_ My Annual Gift is enclosed: Amount: $______________ I’d like to make my annual gift in two equal installments.

[Mr. Lincoln’s Barristers; Mr. Lincoln’s Judges Chambers; Mr. Lincoln’s Supreme Court only]

Installments will be due March 1 and September 1

_ I’d like to make my annual gift in four equal quarterly installments.[Mr. Lincoln’s Supreme Court only]

Installments will be due March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1

Name(s): ________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________City: _______________________________ State: _________ Zip: _________ Email___________________________________________________________

Please forward your payment (payable to Friends of the Courtroom) to:

Friends of the Old Lincoln Courtroom & MuseumPO!Box 381Beardstown IL 62618

Check here if this is a renewal of your membership ____

Beard descendents visitOn June 20th, two great great, great, great granddaughters

of Thomas Beard and their children visited the Old LincolnCourtroom & Museum.

They are descended from Edward aka “Red” Beardthrough his daughter Clara. Edward had red hair, and al-though the sisters do not have red hair, their children do, andothers in the family do also.

Edward was sort of the black sheep of the family, a roughand ready type, who was best known for an altercation with“Rowdy Joe.”

The great, great, great grandson of Thomas has done ex-tensive genealogical study of “Red’s” descendents, whichwill be discussed in detail in a future newsletter.

OLCM at Illinois State FairOn Monday, Aug. 12, the Old Lincoln Courtroom & Mu-

seum was represented at the Illinois State Fair in the Look-ing for Lincoln Heritage Coalition booth.

The OLCM display featured photographs of items in themuseum and important sites around Beardstown connectedto Abraham Lincoln. The photographs, taken by ChristyBley, featured the courthouse building and the courtroom, aswell as the “white suit” portrait of Lincoln and several of theWayside Exhibits, which were sponsored by Looking forLincoln.

The Looking for Lincoln booth was located in the IllinoisBuilding in connection with the Illinois Historic Preserva-tion Agency. Since Aug. 12 was Senior Day at the fair, asteady stream of people viewed the exhibit, and so manybrochures were taken that more had to be printed for the rest

of the fair. The display received many compliments andquestions concerning Lincoln’s connections to Beardstown.

Thomas Beard descendents visited the Old Lincoln Court-room & Museum on June 20th. Pictured from left are ChrisMitchell, Morgan Mitchell, Shirley Mitchell, Bradley Little andKay Crow. All but Chris Mitchell are Beard relatives.

OLCM’s display at the 2013 Illinois State Fair.

Thomas Beard’s Edenalong the bluffs

Beardstown bears his name, but it was 560 acres of landabout 6 miles east of the city that held a special place inThomas Beard’s heart.

But first, a little background is in order. Beard was bornon Dec. 4, 1794, in Granville, N.Y., the first child of Jede-diah and Charlotte Beard. In 1800, Jedediah succumbed towanderlust, uprooting his family and moving to frontierOhio.

Young Thomas inherited his father’s sense of adventure.Despite his mother’s strenuous objections, the lad set out forthe West in late 1817. He first went to St. Louis and then toEdwardsville, where he remained until 1819.

At some point, Beard made the acquaintance of a youngman by the name of Murray McConnel, who later wouldgain fame as the first lawyer in Morgan County. In 1819,McConnel was living in Missouri, but had grown disen-chanted with the territory over the issue of slavery.

Beard and McConnel set off on horseback for the IllinoisRiver country and the Muscooten Indian village a few milesbelow the mouth of the Sangamon River. Beard liked whathe saw – the rivers, the expansive bay and plentiful game.Quickly winning the trust of the natives, Beard elected to re-main. For his part, McConnel went back to Missouri, return-ing to this country in 1821 after selling his farm.

Beard erected a log cabin near where the post office build-ing now stands at the corner of State and Main streets. Fromthere, he established himself as a trader. On June 5, 1826,Beard received a license from Schuyler County to operate aferry across the Illinois River, paying $6 for the privilege.Beard and his heirs would operate the ferry until a bridgewas constructed.

On Sept. 28th of that year, Beard and Enoch C. Marchjointly made the first purchase of land in Beardstown. Beardapparently had made March’s acquaintance while still in Ed-wardsville. They became close friends. Just when March ar-

rived in what is now Beardstown is unclear.The year 1829 is regarded as the year of Beardstown’s

birth, as it was then that Beard and March platted the origi-nal town. As recorded by the Morgan County Recorder ofDeeds (what is now Cass County was still part of MorganCounty at that time), the town consisted of 23 blocks, whichfronted on the Illinois River from Jackson Street to ClayStreet. This plat was filed in September of 1829.

A post office was established at Beardstown on Dec. 4,1830. Initially called “Beard’s Ferry,” the name “Beard-stown” was adopted on Aug. 5, 1831.

Beard soon razed his cabin to build a hotel on the site.Known as The City Hotel, this substantial brick buildingstood until 1915 when it was demolished to allow for con-struction of the post office. According to various accounts,Abraham Lincoln was a guest at the hotel in 1844 and 1845.In later years, the hotel was operated by Henry T. Foster.

Though Beard was the driving force of his city, heyearned for a refuge. In 1836, he used some of his newlygained wealth to purchase 560 acres of land along the bluffsabout 6 miles east of Beardstown.

Following his 1834 divorce from Sarah, Beard beganlooking for a refuge from his extensive business activities.He would find it in the form of section 16 of what is nowBluff Springs Township. On Sept. 3, 1836, Beard purchasedall but 80 acres in the northwest corner of the section. HereBeard built a substantial home primarily of oak and walnut.This came to be known as Beard’s summer home as it washere that he spent the warm weather months, retreating backto town for the winter.

In a 1907 article that appeared in the Enquirer of Virginia,John Loomis, an educator and a cousin of Beard, describedthe Beard farm as follows:

“Immediately at the base of the bluff, gently inclining to-ward the west, was planted an orchard of the choicest kindsof fruits - apples, peaches, pears, plums and cherries. Agrapery, also, of many varieties was planted on either side ofa broad avenue leading to his house, and supported by trel-lised work. Many exotics, also trees, plants and shrubs were

cultivated. To the north of the orchardand at the base of the bluffs extendingeast, was a grove of young forest trees,which follows up a ravine into the higherlands. through this ravine there camemurmuring down a silver stream, some-times swollen and turbulent, but usuallycreeping and winding away through thetall grass and flowers of the prairie,silently forming with other similarstreams, numerous lakelets, here andthere, all over the beautiful champaign,between the bluffs and distant rivers. Be-tween the orchard and a road runningnorth and south was the family mansionof the Pioneer, a structure far more im-posing for its size than the elegance of its

Thomas Beard’s summer home. (Photo courtesy of The Seaman family.)

Old Lincoln Courtroom & Museum CommissionLeigh Morris, EditorPO!Box 381Beardstown IL!62618

nois river, which sweeps round in a circle with a radius sixor eight miles. This is the uniting wedge of the Illinois andSangamon Valleys. On the opposite side of the river, theBluffs following its course, bend away to the south crownedwith a crest of tall trees.”

~Leigh Morris

architecture. Such was the view as you sit under the old oaktree which stands near the residence. Here I spent the firstfew weeks of my sojourn in the west, enjoying the genuinehospitality of a true nobleman, as the proprietor was.”

On July 27, 1837, Beard took a second wife, Nancy Dick-erman, the widow of Willard Dickerman. The Dickermanscame to Beardstown from New York and weresoon befriended by Beard. Upon Willard’s deathon April 19, 1836, Beard oversaw Nancy’s inter-ests until their marriage. They had four childrenas well as a son by Nancy’s first marriage. Also,Beard had three children by his first marriage.

Beard encouraged a number of his eastern rel-atives to settle on nearby land. He even built abrick school house so their children and those ofother neighbors would receive a proper educa-tion.

To display the beauty of the land, Loomiswrote that Beard led his guests to “the summitof that bald knob which raises several hundredfeet above the general level just east of the or-chard.”

Loomis continued: “From this place we havean unobstructed view from a line due east clearround to a line south, embracing twenty-fourpoints of a great circle. The arc of the quadrantbetween North and West is bounded by the Illi-

This 1916 photo shows the new Seaman home. Beard’s home is visible be-hind and to the right of the new house. (Photo courtesy of The Seaman fam-ily.)