Sarah and I were able to quickly decide where we wanted to go. On September fifth, we visited the Appellate Courthouse in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Even though I have lived in Mt. Vernon for most of my life, I did not realize how much historical significance there is to this location. The Appellate Courthouse is located at North 38 degrees and West -88 degrees. So we got in my car and rode to 114th & Main in Mt. Vernon. This meant that Sarah traveled 119 miles from home to the courthouse and back home. We were lucky to have my mom as a traveling companion. Sarah and my mom got along great. I learned so much more about the Appellate Courthouse. It was built in the Greek revival style in 1857. I knew that Abe Lincoln had been involved in cases here, but I did not know that Mt. Vernon hospital records show that Clara Barton, the founder of American Red Cross, was involved in an emergency hopital in the building in February of 1888 after a tornado. I also learned that there is a story about how the twin wrought iron stairways took three weeks to arrive in Mt. Vernon by ox-cart from St. Louis.
I feel honored to have gone on this adventure with Sarah. I was able to share with her what I knew about the Appellate Courthouse and we were able to learn more about it together. Sarah has told me that she cannot wait to go on an adventure with Chelsie and learn more about local history!
-Gena McKinzie
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