>>THIS WAS THE FIRST STATE CAPITOL OF ILLINOIS WHICH IS BEST REMEMBERED NOT FOR ITS
FOUNDERS, BUT FOR A CERTAIN
POLITICAL NEWCOMER.
TODAY VISITORS TOURING THE OLD
STATEHOUSE TO WALK ON THE VERY
FLOOR THAT ABRAHAM LINCOLN TODAY
AND SEE THE ROOM WHERE HE WAS
FIRST ENROLLED AS AN ATTORNEY.
HI, I AM JIM WILHELM.
BEHIND ME IS THE THIRD AND LAST
BUILDING WHERE THE STATE
LEGISLATURE MET IN VANDALIA, BUT
IT IS NOT THE ONLY PLACE IN
VANDALIA WHICH IS OF HISTORICAL
IMPORTANCE.
IN 1823 FOUR YEARS AFTER
BECOMING THE CAPITOL, THERE WAS
STILL NO CHURCH BUILDING IN
TOWN. SO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
DONATED FIVE CITY LOTS, FOUR OF
WHICH WERE TO BE SOLD WITH THE
PROCEEDS USED TO CONSTRUCT A
BUILDING ON THE FIFTH LOT.
THAT ONE ROOM FRAME BUILDING WAS
KNOWN AS HOUSE OF DIVINE
WORSHIP, AND WAS MADE AVAILABLE
TO ANY DENOMINATION.
IT WAS ALSO A GENERAL MEETING
PLACE FOR THE TOWN POPULATION
AND WAS ALSO A SCHOOL AS A
POPULATION GREW.
>>EVENTUALLY THE WORSHIP HOUSE
CHANGED, LOCATIONS AND ON THE
LOT WAS BUILT THE FIRST
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
WHEN THE CON GEN GRATION MOVED,
THE BILLING THEN BECAME HOME TO
COLLECTED ARTIFACTS OF THE
FAYETTE COUNTY MUSEUM.
THIS IS A WAREHOUSE OF STORIES
THAT GIVE VISITORS A GLIMPSE OF
FAYETTE COUNTY'S PAST LIFE.
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE, THIS
SECRETARY BELONGED TO JJ BROWN
BORN IN 1852 IN NEW YORK.
BROWN LOST BOTH OF HIS PARENTS
AT AN EARLY AGE WAS PLACED IN AN
ORPHANAGE.
BACK IN THOSE DAYS WHEN AN
ORPHANAGE BECAME FULL, SPACE WAS
OPENED BY SECOND THE CHILDREN
OUT WEST TO BECOME INDENTURED
SERVANTS.
BUT BROWN'S INAUSPICIOUS START
IS BEE LIED HIS PROFESSIONAL
CAREER.
WENT ONTO BECOME A TEACH HE AND
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL.
HE ALSO STUDIES LAW, AND BECAME
AN ATTORNEY, AND AS A JUDGE,
LATER A STATE LEGISLATOR, AND
EVENTUALLY RAN FOR GOVERNOR.
NOT BAD FOR POOR ORPHAN BOY.
IN THE BUSINESS SECTION ARE
ITEMS FROM THE
JOHNSON-STEPHENS-SHINKLE LOCATED
HERE IN VAN DALEIASM THAT
COMPANY WAS BEST KNOWN IN THE
1940'S FOR ITS FASHIONABLE
RHYTHM STEP SHOE LINE WHICH, BY
THE WAY, ARE QUITE COLLECTIBLE
TODAY.
OVER HERE IS A BEDSPREAD
PRESENTED AS WEDDING GIFT IN
1843.
IT WAS EMBROIDERED BY A PROCESS
KNOWN AS CANDLE WICKING.
BECAUSE THE LINEN THREAD USED
ARE SO MANY TAPE EMPLOYED IN THE
MAKING OF CANDLE WICS.
WELCOME BACK TO THE FAYETTE COUNTY MUSEUM IN VANDALIA WHICH HAS ON DISPLAY THIS FRO, WHAT IS
A FRO YOU ASK?
WELL, A FRO IS A TOOL USED TO
CLEAN CLEAVE WOOD TO MAKE
SHINGLES.
WE ARE TOLD THIS ONE BELONGED TO
AN EMPLOYEE OF MR. PAUL BECK,
WHO WAS A CONTRACTOR WHO LIVED
IN THE NEW SALEM AREA.
SCRATCHED INTO THE TOOL ARE THE
INITIALS OF THAT WORKER, "AL"
WHO WAS ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
ACCORDING TO FAMILY LEGEND,
LINCOLN GAVE TO TO BECK WHEN HE
QUIT IN 1834 AFTER HE HAD BEEN
ELECTED TO THE STATE
LEGISLATURE.
IT REMAINED IN THE BECK FAMILY
FOR FIVE GENERATIONS UNTIL THEY
DECIDED TO SHARE THE FROE WITH
THE WORLD.
THEY DONATED IT TO THIS MUSEUM
HERE IN VANDALIA, THE TOWN TO
WHICH LINCOLN CAME TO SERVE IN
THE LEGISLATURE.
ANOTHER LINCOLN ITEM ON IT
DISPLAY IS THIS CIVIL WAR
DOCUMENT SIGNED BY THE
PRESIDENT.
IT IS FROM THE U.S. VOLUNTEER
SERVICE WITH THE PRESIDENT'S
THANKS AND A CERTIFICATE OF
HONORABLE SERVICE.
PRIOR TO THE CIVIL WAR, BECAUSE
OF ITS NORTHBOUND TRAINS,
VANDALIA WAS A STOP ON
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
A FEW YEARS AGO, A BAG WAS LEFT
ANONYMOUSLY ON THE DOORSTEP OF
THE MUSEUM CONTAINING ITEMS FROM
THAT PERIOD.
INSIDE OFFICIALS DISCOVERED
THESE TWO BRASS NECK COLLARS.
BOTH WERE ENGRAVED WITH THE
OWNER'S NAME, JW GOSLEE, HIS
ADDRESS, AND THE SLAVES' NAME.
THIS WAS BELLE'S NECK COLLAR.
THEY OWNED A SIZABLE PLANTATION
AND THEY OWNED A LARGE NUMBER OF
SLAVES.
SO AS WE HAVE SEEN, THE FAYETTE
COUNTY MUSEUM IS MORE THAN
JUST -- REPOSITORY FOR ANTIQUE
ITEMS, BUT A COLLECTION OF
STORIES PRESERVED FOR FUTURE
GENERATIONS TO LEARN FROM.
OH, AND ONE MORE STORY BEFORE WE
LEAVE THE MUSEUM.
NEXT DOOR IS THE VACANT LOT.
IT WAS A LOCATION OF ROBERT
McLAUGHLIN'S HOUSE.
DURING HIS LIFETIME, HE WAS A
STATE TREASURER, SENATOR, AND
REGISTRAR FOR THE U.S. LAND
OFFICE.
HE WAS MARRIED TO THE NIECE OF
SHADRACH BOND, WHO WAS HE?
THE FIRST GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS,
AND STAYED WITH HIS NIECE ON
THIS SITE WHEN THE LEGISLATURE
WAS IN SESSION.
AS LONG AS THE LEGISLATURE MET
IN VANDALIA, ALL THE GOVERNORS
TOOK ROOMS AT THE McLAUGHLIN
HOUSE.
TODAY VANDALIA HAS SEVERAL SITES FOR VISITORS TO EXPLORE. THERE IS THE OLD STATEHOUSE, THE
FAYETTE COUNTY MUSEUM, APP THE
NATIONAL ROAD INTERPRETIVE
CENTER.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THESE
SITES AND THEIR HOURS OF
OPERATION, CONTACT THE VANDALIA
TOURISM OFFICE AT (618)283-2728
OR GO TO THEIR WEB SITE AT
WWW.VANDALIAILLINOIS.COM.