Paris High School - Arena Yearbook (Paris, IL)

Page 18 text:

Pioneer Days in Paris I tC ftutK « u w ljLL - 1- . Li t .’ I Uu, tkuj F vU,, - f ifUii - »kiUu }.».,-U,. vLu U, n-. f-V THE OLD COURTHOUSE We arc indebted to Mr. Floyd Davis for the pictures on this and the three succeeding pages. These pictures were pen sketches made by James E. Taylor about 1867, and were the property of the late Mr. R. O. Kirby. History states that the original plot was surveyed and laid out by Amos Williams, a county surveyor, and that Samuel Vance donated twenty-six acres of land for a county seat. We know that this plot includes the public square and about a block in each direction. The old Court House occupied the same location as our present one. It was a very plain two story brick building with entrances facing all four sides of the public square. Halls ran through the lower floor from the four doors, and the offices were in the four corners. A wooden stairway led to the second story which housed the court room. The halls on the first floor were laid with soft red brick, and years of service had worn those to a very rough surface. As the County grew in population the old buildings became too small and crowded; so there were two small brick buildings about twenty-five feet square erected on the northeast and northwest corners of the plot of ground. They did not add anything to the beauty of the public square, but they were serviceable and had good fireproof vaults in them. They had a very serious drawback in the mattel of use, for being located outside of the main building it was a great temptation to the clerks, especially in stormy weather, to keep many important papers in the large build-

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The Front Entrance

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Pioneer Days in Paris ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S FIRST CASE IN EDGAR COUNTY ing, and that meant that many documents were misplaced and probably destroyed. Around the outside of the plot were stretched heavy chains, fastened to large posts. This was for the accommodation of the farmers who used the same as a hitching rack. It was a common sight to see wagons, buggies, and even ox teams standing almost the entire day around the whole square. It was in this old brick court house that Abraham Lincoln tried many law suits, for Edgar County was on the circuit in which he practiced. In the files there were many papers and documents written out in long hand by Mr. Lincoln because, of course, in those days there were no typewriting machines. These papers were, in many cases, signed by Mr. Lincoln, but no particular care was taken to safeguard them, and almost anyone showing authority could go through all the court files. At some time or times someone has cut the signatures of Mr. Lincoln from these documents, or in many cases have stolen the whole paper. This seems too bad, for since Lincoln practiced law here in our court, those papers should have been left for future generations to see. It is said that when Lincoln was here he delighted to visit with our citizens, and that it was a common occurrence for him to have a crowd around him in some local store, and to tell story after story to an interested audience. Mr. Taylor has reproduced a scene of one of Mr. Lincoln’s first trials. In the picture he