Hillsboro

The oldest family dwelling in Hillsboro is the historic Harkey House at 305 S. Broad St. This home was built by Solomon Harkey in 1834 for his growing family and remained in the family until 1906. 

The Harkey House was originally located one block north (where the Hillsboro Fire Department is) and was moved to its present location in 1968 after the owners, the Ivan Lingle family, offered it to the Historical Society of Montgomery County to preserve and use as its headquarters. 

Abraham Lincoln related items in the Society’s possession include the wooden third step from the home of Joseph and Jane Eccles on the southeast corner of Water and Berry strees (one block west of where the Harkey House now stands). Lincoln sat on that step and stretched his long legs while visiting the Eccles and other local friends who knew of his arrival to town. 

Also, the Society owns a pair of scissors that belonged to Abraham's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, who died when Abe was nine years old. After Nancy's death and prior to coming to Illinois, Thomas Lincoln (Abe's father) had a sale, and Mr. Bowling Green purchased these scissors, which made their wasy to the Society’s collection. A letter in which the writer recalled Lincoln being a visitor to the Harkey family home is with the Society also. 

In early 2023, Historical Society officers decided to return the Harkey House to an actual “period home” representing the years that the Harkey family lived in the house (1834-1906). The small home directly behind the Harkey House is owned by the Society and had provided rental income for many years. Officers voted to make this home into the Montgomery County Museum. 

The structure, which is on the site of the first school in Hillsboro, has hand hewn beams and roof rafters with the bark still attached to the wood. The Montgomery County Museum opened to the public in August 2023 and offers exhibits that are rotated every four months. Historical Society volunteers taff the museum and gift shop from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday.

Perched on a small rise in the center of the Hillsboro public square, the Montgomery County Historic Courthouse was built over a period of time from 1868 to 1872, but is on the same site of the previous courthouse well known to Lincoln. 

On July 15, 1843, Lincoln was in Hillsboro speaking on behalf of candidates for the Whig congressional ticket, and he spoke at the county’s second courthouse, a wood-frame structure built in 1833. His speech was not recorded in writing as Hillsboro was without a newspaper at that time. Oral histories stated that his speech was humorous and filled with stories. At that same courthouse on July 20, 1844, Lincoln addressed a large crowd, advocating for Henry Clay for President, who was defeated by James K. Polk. It’s also known that Lincoln filed legal papers at the county courthouse, but these documents were vandalized and stolen many years ago. The thief was caught, but the Lincoln signatures that had been cut from the documents were not recovered. 

The current Historic Courthouse is the third building Montgomery County has used as its courthouse since the county was formed in 1821. The need for this larger courthouse resulted from the county’s increased population, as documented by the 1870 census showing 25,314 persons living in Montgomery County.The cost of this courthouse totaled over $130,000, which included furnishings, an iron fence and sidewalk. Originally, the county jail was located on the bulding’s third floor, with the sheriff’s living quarters on the second.

The bronze, life-size statue of Abraham Lincoln was unveiled and dedicated on August 15, 2009, to commemorate the 125th celebration of Old Settlers Days and the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birthday. 

Created by renowned Lincoln sculptor and historian, the late John McClarey of Decatur, the statue depicts Lincoln in his mid-30s, wearing a top hat and coat. He has just arrived in town, having put down his travel bag and umbrella, and is leaning back slightly to get the kinks out of his back from the long trip from Springfield. He is looking towards the plaza stage with a slight smile. 

Describing his concept for the sculpture, Mr. McClarey said, "This statue shows an aspect of Lincoln's character –– his love of music, theater and all forms of entertainment –– not portrayed in any other public statuary. Lincoln relied on music, public discourse and conversation with friends to provide the balance he needed to deal with tragedies in his personal life as well as the tragedies of war." 

The statue's title, Among Friends, recognizes the many friends Lincoln had in Hillsboro, where he often stopped and stayed overnight during trips from New Salem to Vandalia, then the state capital. The Old Settlers Association, led by the late Kathy Dagon, provided the initial $17,000 to commission Mr. McClarey. 

Private donations financed the remaining balance of the $80,000 project. Commemorative tiles lining the plaza stage and wall recognize those individuals, businesses, organizations and families who donated to the effort. 

Soon after the dedication ceremony, Hillsboro City Council designated this corner of Courthouse Square as Lincoln Plaza. It has become a popular site for a variety of activities and events, including musical performances, pep rallies and farmer's markets. Mr. Lincoln, 6'4" tall plus his top hat, is a frequent subject for selfie photographs with friends and the Historic Montgomery County Courthouse acts as the backdrop.

The Civil War cannon sitting on the front lawn of the Montgomery County Historic Courthouse is one of only three known Confederate bronze 12-pounder Howitzers manufactured in 1862 by the Noble Brothers & Company of Rome, Georgia. The foundry where it was made was destroyed by General Sherman’s troops two years later, and the remaining two cannons are at the Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania. 

The “Trophy Cannon” is so called because it was captured from the Confederates and has a straight, heavy barrel capable of firing 12 pound projectiles, including both solid and gunpowder filled cannon balls. The cannon was donated by F.D. Hubbel to the Women’s Relief Corps of Hillsboro by an Act of Congress on December 12, 1930. 

The cannon was originally mounted on a concrete pedestal, pointing westward, on the southeast corner of the courthouse lawn. The Lincoln Tablet, containing the Gettysburg address, is embedded in the platform below. The cannon was dedicated for the ?rst time on Memorial Day, 1931. During World War II, many trophy cannons were donated and melted down, their bronze used primarily as war ship propellers. However, this cannon survived intact and remained in place for six decades. 

In early 1997, a Civil War buff from Missouri contacted the Montgomery County Board and offered to purchase the cannon for $45,000. Upon investigation, county officials learned that Civil War experts at the Smithsonian and the Watervliet Arsenal Museum appraised its value at $50,000-$70,000, and recommended it be placed in safe storage. Montgomery County Board members debated where the cannon should be located, and eventually it was placed back on the Historic Courthouse lawn, firmly secured onto a replica Civil War gun carriage built by Paulson Brothers Ordnance Company of Rend Lake, Wisconsin. 

The Lincoln Tablet was again placed below the Cannon. The cannon was formally rededicated in May 1999 during a ceremony conducted by members of the 8th Regiment Missouri Volunteer Infantry US Civil War re-enactors. The regiment camped overnight and marched to the Courthouse from the Beckemeyer School grounds, where Abraham Lincoln spoke on September 9, 1858.

Note: This home on this site no longer exists.

Of all the friends who Abraham Lincoln counted in Hillsboro, Joseph Eccles was.his closest. Joseph was born in Kentucky on January 7, 1807. He and his wife, Jane were married in 1829, and the next year they moved to a farm just outside Vandalia, Illinois. 

There, Joseph Eccles farmed, taught school and operated a mercantile business. The Eccles family later moved to Hillsboro, where Joseph was a justice of the peace, assistant assessor, deputy collector of U.S. revenue, and a recruiting officer for Union troops in Hillsboro. 

When traveling through Hillsboro, Lincoln often stayed at Joseph and Jane’s home on the corner of Berry and Water streets. Lincoln was known to sit on the Eccles' staircase and stretch out while telling stories to folks who came by to visit with him. Prior to the demolition of the Eccles' home many years later, the wooden step that Lincoln favored was removed from the house, and it is in the collection of the Historical Society of Montgomery County. E

ccles and Lincoln corresponded numerous times, most often on political matters and local issues important to Lincoln. Eccles was also a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1848. Letters between Lincoln and Eccles are well documented and show their true friendship. Lincoln considered Eccles an important advisor. 

It was Eccles who convinced Lincoln to come to Hillsboro to make a speech while campaigning against Stephen Douglas for the U.S. Senate on September 9, 1858. Douglas had spoken here just a month earlier, onAugust 2nd. "Uncle Joe" and "Aunt Jane”, as their Hillsboro friends affectionately called them, visited President Lincoln in Washington at least two times. 

So much more could be written about the relationship and friendship of these two men. Eccles died in Hillsboro on July 12, 1888. Both he and Jane are buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Hillsboro.