Christmas 1957 : The Appellate Courthouse

The Appellate Courthouse woodblock print

Mt. Vernon, IL

Exhibit Home | Acknowledgements

The card’s interior

Cut from some “fairly new tulip wood” picked up in Edgar County, the 1957 woodblock featured the Fourth District Appellate Courthouse located in the center of Mt. Vernon, IL.

Built around 1857 in the Greek Revival style, the Courthouse hosted lawyer Abraham Lincoln before he became the President of the United States. Lincoln argued multiple cases at the Courthouse, including a tax case where he represented Illinois Central Railroad. Local legend holds that it took three weeks for the Courthouse’s twin wrought iron stairways to be brought to Mt. Vernon from St. Louis by ox-drawn cart.

Fred and Betty Turner were unable to locate the architect of this building, and, indeed, the Department of Interior records they examined in 1957 listed the builders as ‘unknown.’ The Turners’ full research on the Courthouse is accessible in their Christmas 1957 note.

Loading map...

Loading

 

Return to Christmas 1956 Continue Christmas 1961

  • Search Collections

  • Location

    Horticulture Field Laboratory
    Archives Research Center
    1707 S. Orchard St.
    Urbana, IL 61801

  • Hours

    M,T,TH,F: 8:30am-12pm
    and 1-5pm
    W: 10am-12pm and 1-5pm

  • Contact Us

    Email: Ellen Swain at eswain@illinois.edu
    Phone: (217) 333-7841

  • Select a Woodblock:

  • Christmas 1949

  • Christmas 1951

  • Christmas 1952

  • Christmas 1953

  • Christmas 1956

  • Christmas 1957