Historic Sites
Macon County Historical Museum |
Oglesby Mansion |
Millikin Homestead |
Homestead Prairie
Bethel School |
Wabash Depot |
Paris-Springfield Road
 Macon County Museum Complex
5580 North Fork Road
Decatur, IL 62521
217.422.4919
www.mchsdecatur.org
The Prairie Years and Victorian Era in Central Illinois come to life in exhibits at the Macon County Historical Society Museum. The Prairie Village on the museum grounds is home to such historic buildings as the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced in the 1830's, a log house, a one-room school, a circa-1880 railroad depot, a smithy and a print shop.
You can treat yourself to a 12-minute history lesson in front of a big screen TV in the main museum. This locally-produced video chronicles Abraham Lincoln’s connections to Decatur and Macon County.
Open year round, from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday. Admission $2.00 per person.
 Richard J. Oglesby Mansion
421 W. William Street
Decatur, IL 62523
217.429.9422
www.maconcountyconservation.org
Friend of Abraham Lincoln Richard
J. Oglesby is best known both as a friend and political ally
of Abraham Lincoln. Oglesby helped form the "Railsplitter Candidate" image
which put Lincoln in the national spotlight during the 1860
presidential election. Oglesby was also with Lincoln when he
died in 1865 and as Governor of Illinois he lead the effort
to build Lincoln's Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield,
Illinois. In his later years Oglesby helped preserve Lincoln's historical legacy and shape the heroic legend of Abraham Lincoln through his speeches and interviews.
Oglesby came to Decatur as a young orphan from Kentucky and became one of the city's most prominent and best loved citizens. His life was filled with many accomplishments including being elected three times as Governor of Illinois and appointed a United States Senator. Oglesby made a small fortune in the California Gold Rush and also fought in both the Mexican War and Civil War eventually becoming a general.
Governor Oglesby had the Mansion built around 1874. The highlight of the Mansion's history is a visit by former Civil War General and United States President Ulysses S. Grant in 1880. From one of the Mansion's verandas Grant spoke to a crowd of people during an encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, a Civil War veterans' association.
The Mansion possesses features of the Italianate style including brackets under the eaves, the low-pitched roof with belvedere (a flat deck area at the roof's center with a balustrade), bay windows and verandas. The interior features vibrant parquet wood flooring, seven fireplaces and a walnut staircase. Throughout the house are furnishings of the era including several items owned by the Oglesby Family.
The home is open to the public the last Sunday of the month from March to November from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. and on Wednesdays and Saturdays from June - October from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00p.m. Admission fee is $2.00.
Special tours can be arranged for motor coach groups and schools. To schedule a group tour or school group program, please call 217-429-9422.
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Banker James Millikin built this stately brick mansion in 1876, the year of the United States centennial. The fully restored landmark is known for its woodwork, elegant fireplaces, plasterwork and etched and stained glass. Open the last Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 P.M., April through October. Adults $2.00, Children $.50.
Homestead Prairie Farm
Rock Springs Conservation Area
3939 Nearing Lane
Decatur, IL 62521
217.423.7708
www.maconcountyconservation.org
 Walk into the past to an exciting place where the days before the Civil War live on. Homestead Prairie Farm is built around the Trobaugh-Good House located at Rock Springs Conservation Area. It has been restored to let visitors explore rural life on the Grand Prairie of Illinois in 1860 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Originally constructed by an unknown builder around 1850 as a one room log house, its name comes from the first two families who lived there. Joseph Trobaugh from Tennessee, his wife Elizabeth born in Illinois and their family were the first known occupants of the house and owned it from 1853 to 1866. Trobaugh was a farmer and sawmill operator. He changed the house by adding rooms and making other renovations.
Emanuel Good, a Civil War veteran, along with his wife and children, were the second family to live there. The Goods owned the house from 1866 to 1903, selling it one year after Emanuel's death. Today the house is furnished to reflect the lifestyle of the Trobaughs, their boarders, hired hands, and neighbors in 1860, whose lives were being affected by the important changes sweeping the nation in the last years before the Civil War.
Tours are available June-October from 1:00-4:00 weekends. Special tours can be arranged by appointment. Programs can be scheduled by appointment for presentation at Homestead Prairie Farm for students or other groups. Call (217)423-7708 for further information.
Public programs and presentations take place the 1st and 3rd Sundays from June through October and are open to the public at no charge.
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 Step back in time into a one room country school. The name " Bethel School" has a long history in Friends Creek Township. The first Bethel School, built in the 1850's, was a log structure. By 1890, with a donation of land, the current Bethel School was built.
For nearly 56 years the school served neighborhood students, until 1946 when it was closed. As part of a statewide trend in the 1940's and 1950's, most one room schools in Macon County were closed and the students transferred to larger schools. Purchased by a private citizen, the Bethel School was moved about a mile south to be used as an implement and tool shed.
After the Macon County Conservation District purchased this property it stood on, the school was moved yet again to its present location as part of Friends Creek Conservation Area. With help from several donors along with dedicated volunteers and staff it was restored to its current appearance.
 Wabash Depot Antique Centre
710 E. Cerro Gordo
Decatur, IL 62523
217.233.0800
In its heyday, all tracks led to the Depot, the longtime headquarters for the Wabash Railroad Company. Military personnel passed through by the thousands; President Teddy Roosevelt disembarked in 1903 to dedicate Millikin University; and, Dwight Eisenhower addressed a crowd of more than 20,000 from his observation car in 1952.
Now restored to its early 20 th century rail depot grandeur, this awesome 10,000 square foot building is filled with antique dealers and treasures unique to Decatur.
Hours are Monday-Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM and Sunday noon to 5 PM.
Walk in the Footsteps of Abraham Lincoln on the Paris-Springfield Road
Sand Creek Conservation Area
The Paris-Springfield Road was one of the earliest roads in Central Illinois. Named for the two towns it ran between ( Paris, Illinois and Springfield, Illinois) it gave settlers a way to move farm products and other goods between nearby towns and states as it connected with other roads. Locally, it ran through Macon County and helped Decatur grow before railroads were built.
The Paris-Springfield Roads’s most famous traveler was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln and his extended family used the road when they made their first Illinois home in Macon County in March of 1830. Lincoln later used the road as a politician and as a lawyer on Illinois’ eighth judicial circuit when he tried cases in many towns including Decatur.
One part of the road is now preserved and open to visitors at Sand Creek Conservation Area. You can learn a piece of Illinois history by walking in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln. At the east end of the parking area look for a large informational display which tells more of the story of this important road.
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