Beardstown Illinois?

Question

Looking for old photo's of Beardstown Illinois. Information on the first settlers and first families would be great. Thanks

Answer 1

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilcass...

is the US Gen Web page for Cass County. Beardstown is in Cass County. There is a link to "Cass County Photo Album" on the home page.

http://www.beardstown.lib.il.us/communit...

says

Beardstown is one of Illinois' older towns, first settled in 1819. The city's founder, Thomas Beard, from Ohio, with his friend, General Murray McConnel of Edwardsville, arrived at the Indian Mound Village in 1819, making the trip from Southern Illinois River and, after a week's travel, reached the Indian Mound Village, located just below Mascouten Bay. French explorers had named the site "Beautiful Mound Village" because the Indian camp was at the base of large Indian burial mounds.

Beard erected a log cabin at the river's edge and began trading with the Indians. Later he built a two-story brick building which was used for 85 years as a store and inn.

This inn sheltered the young lawyer, Abraham Lincoln, on his visits to Beardstown. The inn was torn down when the new modern post office was erected on the site.

Many people soon settled in this bounty land. In 1829, the city was platted and named for Thomas Beard. The original town consisted of twenty-one blocks along the river front, three blocks deep, with City Square as the center block. Both Lincoln and Stephen Douglas gave speeches in the square during their senatorial campaign in 1855.

As a young man, Abraham Lincoln was chosen to lead the Sangamon County company of soldiers during the Black Hawk War in 1832. He was installed as Captain on a spot near the Illinois River, located in Schmoldt Park at the North end of Wall Street in Beardstown.

Beardstown prides itself with being a town rich in history. Many of the older buildings proclaim its past architectural heritage. Though major industries, such as Excel Corporation, now have a home here, Beardstown maintains the flavor of days gone by.

Beardstown, located on Mile 88 of the Illinois River, was at one time, known as the Belle of the Bend. Its famous marina was a well-known boat stop for river travelers. Now, many hunters and fishermen travel to Beardstown for sport because of its many natural bays, streams and wooded areas. Surrounding the town is a marsh that is the habitat for several species for wildlife. Today, local people still use the Illinois River for pleasure as well as to earn a living.

Agriculture is important in the area, Beardstown being well-known for its production of watermelons, which are trucked to many major cities in the country. Nearby farms also produce corn, soybeans, Christmas trees, hogs, and cattle.