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Mount Pulaski
is a town of 1,800
people, quietly nestled in the southeastern part of Logan
County
amidst some
of the richest farmland in the world.
In 1836, Mount
Pulaski was founded by
Jabez Capps,
George Turley and Dr. Barton Robinson. It was named after
American
General
Casimir
Pulaski,
a Polish
soldier of fortune, who gave his life in our Revolutionary
War.
Turley's father, James, had fought in the Revolutionary War
and knew of General Pulaski and his exploits.
Mt.
Pulaski is home to one of two original courthouses, where Abraham Lincoln practiced law on the
8th Judicial
Circuit [1849 - 1854].
The
Illinois 8th
Judicial Circuit
of the mid-1800's covered
14
counties & approximately 450 miles.
In October of 1900, President William McKinley, former
President Grover Cleveland, Vice President
Teddy
Roosevelt and John D. Rockefeller
were here for a large Republican Rally
during the
re-election campaign
of President McKinley. They stayed overnight at the Mt. Pulaski
House Hotel. 1200-1500 people attended the rally.
Music
has played a large role in
our town from the
late 1800's onward. Over the years, there were many adult bands.
The high school bands brought back several state sweepstakes
trophies. The 1st lady of radio:
Vaughn DeLeath, was a Mount Pulaski
Native.
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In 1940,
John Mier, Mount Pulaski’s oldest citizen and the last
surviving Civil War Veteran in all of Logan County died. Funeral
services and full military rites were conducted on the
courthouse grounds attended by over 2,000 people.
The
Vonderlieth Living Center
is named after one of her uncles, who was
born and raised here and made his fortune in national magazines in New
York City.
In
1910, there was the famous Wright Brother's
Airplane
- Train Race, which started in Chicago
& went through Mount
Pulaski to Springfield. The airplane stopped for refueling and
water four blocks south of our town's square
amidst a gala welcoming. The winner's purse was $10,000, a mighty sum in
those days.
Click here for eye-witness account
In 1936, our courthouse was established as an Illinois State Historical
Site. Now, visitors can see, feel, and wonder how it may have been
in the mid-1800's when Abraham Lincoln, David Davis, Stephen A. Douglas,
Thomas Herndon and others practiced law here.
In 1936, our basketball team finished
4th
in the state finals - when there
were no divisions.
What a great way to celebrate our town's 100th year anniversary!
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