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The LaSalle County Historical Society campus is located on the banks of the historic I&M Canal and is situated in the quaint village of Utica, Illinois, bordering beautiful Starved Rock State Park. The museum campus features five facilities: the Canal Warehouse, the One-Room School House, the Heritage Center, the Blacksmith Shop and the 1875 Barn. 

The Prairie Years and Victorian Era in Central Illinois come to life in exhibits at the Macon County History Museum. Their exhibits tell the story of Abraham Lincoln’s connection to Decatur and Macon County with displays of one of the only two matching chairs that Lincoln owned and used in his Springfield, IL law office.  Also included in the exhibits are a plaster cast of Lincoln’s head and hands, campaign items and items from his nomination for the presidency in Decatur.

The Prairie Village on the museum grounds is home to such historic buildings as the reconstructed courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced in the 1830's, an 1850’s log house, an 1860’s one-room school, a smithy and a print shop.

Also known as the "Road That Built the Nation", the Historic National Road was created in 1806 by legislation signed by President Thomas Jefferson. Sometimes called "The Cumberland Road" and "The Old Pike", it was the only road completely built with federal funds.

Originally winding from Cumberland, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois, the National Road opened Illinois to settlement. Today, the Illinois National Road stretches 164 miles from Marshall to East St. Louis and is mirrored by U.S. Route 40 and Interstate 70. Visitors can see where Lincoln’s political career began, marvel at a giant catsup bottle, and enjoy the food, festivals, and fun that make the Historic National Road a relaxed journey through Americana.

The Nauvoo Historical Society operates two local museums covering 200 years of Nauvoo's rich history with original artifacts representing the periods of Nauvoo's timeline. From the first pioneer settlers, to the Latter-day Saints, the Icarians and the German immigrants, all of the groups that came to make up Nauvoo are preserved here. Photo is of the Rhienberger Museum

Weld House Museum
1380 Mulholland St., Nauvoo, Illinois

The Weld House Museum is located in Nauvoo's business district and is one of western Illinois's best examples of Greek revival architecture. The Weld House was built in the late 1830s and served as the home and office of Dr. John F. Weld from 1842-1846. Today it houses a museum where each room is from a different era of Nauvoo’s history. Each room of the museum represents a timeline period including Native Indian artifacts, Nauvoo's first settlers, a Mormon display and Icarians among others.

The Rhienberger Museum
980 S Bluff St., Nauvoo, Illinois

The Old Lincoln Courtroom & Museum in Beardstown is one of the most exceptional sights on the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Trail.

The Beardstown Historical Museum, housed in the Courthouse, has some very fine collections, including historically and culturally significant objects and artifacts relating to the community, the central Illinois region, and our Native American Heritage.

Do you know that the courtroom in Beardstown where Lincoln defended Duff Armstrong in the famous Almanac Trial is the only courtroom where Lincoln practiced that is still used as a courtroom to this day?

The Ottawa portion of the museum features collections of memorabilia relating to Ottawa’s historic past. Located on the Illinois-Michigan Canal, Ottawa was a booming canal town in the 1800s, with industry all along the lateral canal.  The museum exhibits artifacts from the past, including a carriage manufactured by the Gay Buggy Company, pianos from the Weaver Piano Factory, an organ from the Western Cottage Organ, marbles from the Peltier Marble Factory, farm equipment from Porter Manufacturing and King and Hamilton, photographic exhibits from some of our local mansions, a dress worn by a local woman during the first Lincoln-Douglas Debates, held in Ottawa in 1858, and other exhibits.

The Schuyler Jail Museum and Genealogical Center of Rushville is located in the old jail building of Schuyler County.

In 1968, the site was leased to  the Schuyler-Brown Historical Society, and transform the building into a museum and genealogical center, serving Schuyler County and the surrounding counties. Volunteers maintain local genealogical collections, while the museum features pioneer life and farm life, as well as interpretaion of the jail portion of the building.

The History Museum on the Square houses permanent and rotating installations and features displays and artifacts from the pioneer era through modern times. A unique feature of the historic structure is the large, three- story, circular corner tower which is connected to an elevated front center entrance. A sculpture garden on the grounds features significant architectural artifacts from Quincy buildings that are no longer in existence.  Many of the permanent exhibits in the History Museum interpret the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. 

The museum’s grounds, manicured and welcoming, are maintained by the Master Gardeners of University of Illinois Extension Unit 14 and feature well-placed pieces from the Gardner Museum’s Sculpture Garden. 

The John Wood Memorial Plaza is located south of the Museum and is a tranquil landscaped patio area with engraved pavers and benches purchased by Society members. This beautiful space is fast-becoming a popular spot for receptions, lunches and weddings “near the Square.”  

A stone drinking fountain on the west side of the building stands as a memorial to World War I Brigadier General Henry Root Hill. 

Located in the Visitors Center next to the John Wood Mansion, the Historical Society’s Lincoln Gallery tells the story of Abraham Lincoln’s political and personal ties with Quincy and its citizens. The Lincoln-related assassination artifacts, featured in the first special exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, are showcased in the Gallery.

Quincyans served with Lincoln in the Illinois legislature from 1830 to 1850. The Kansas-Nebraska Act caused Lincoln to get back into politics in 1854 . . . bringing him to Quincy, and many local Whig politicians worked with Lincoln to launch the new Republican Party.

The nationally significant Sixth Lincoln-Douglas Debate was held in Washington Square in downtown Quincy.  Quincyans helped nominate Lincoln as the Republican candidate for President, and Quincy friends supported him on his way to the White House.  Lincoln used political patronage to reward Quincyans and used their talents to help his administration and the Union.

Quincyans regularly visited Lincoln at the White House, and Orville Browning was there frequently.  He and Eliza were “family” at the time of Willie’s funeral.  After Lincoln’s assassination, Quincyan Colonel George B. Rutherford guarded the body at the Peterson House.  Browning was present at the autopsy and served as a pallbearer at Lincoln’s funeral.  Later, assassination artifacts came to Quincy due to Lincoln's close ties with Quincyans.

Opened in the spring of 2002, the museum center is a near replica of the 1833 county courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law from 1841-1859. The museum center includes a Lincoln/Lamon law office recreation, among other Lin- coln memorabilia. The museum is housed on two floors (ADA accessible) and sits directly behind the Fithian Home.