Frank visits the Mt. Vernon Appellate Courthouse

On Friday, September 2nd, Frank and I decided that labor day weekend would be best spent in my hometown, Mt. Vernon, IL. Of course I was excited to spend a few days in the comfort of my childhood home and Frank seemed to be excited too! Frank and I got in the car, beginning our adventure in Carbondale, and drove 50 miles to reach Mt. Vernon.

After arriving in Mt. Vernon, Frank and I spent the first two days of the weekend with my family and friends. On Sunday, September 4th, I decided that Frank must see the Appellate Courthouse that is located in Mt. Vernon. Frank was curious as to what the latitude and longitude coordinates were for the site and after researching, we found that the courthouse sits at 38 degrees latitude and -89 degrees longitude. Frank was also curious about the historical relevance of the Appellate Courthouse and I was eager to share information with him. The Appellate Courthouse was built in 1857. The courthouse is well known for having hosted several court cases in which Abraham Lincoln argued for various matters. Within the last year or so, the city of Mt. Vernon decided to place a statue of Abraham Lincoln on the lawn of the Appellate Courthouse. The back of the statue can be seen on the left side of the picture of me and Frank. After relaying all of the historical information I knew about the Appellate Courthouse, I decided that Frank deserved to hear a few more interesting facts. Frank and I began to research the Mt. Vernon Appellate Courthouse and we found a some interesting information. In February of 1888, a tornado hit Mt. Vernon and injured many people. Hospital records show that an emergency hospital was held in the courthouse building during this time under the supervision of Clara Barton, who was the founder of the American Red Cross.

Frank and I had a wonderful time on our adventure to the Mt. Vernon Appellate Courthouse. I am fortunate to have had such a great guest for the weekend who encouraged me to discover more historical information about signifcant sites in my hometown.