Honest Abe, Adlai I, and Historic Metamora, IL

As a young lawyer, Abraham Lincoln traveled the Illinois' famed 8th Judicial Circuit -- heading from town to town, representing his clients in now-historic courthouses across central Illinois.

One of the towns on the 8th Circuit was Metamora, located in Woodford County a short drive from the city of Peoria.

On a recent trip through central Illinois, after stopping by the Reagan Museum at Eureka College, we headed north for about 15 minutes to visit Metamora.

On the way into Metamora, on Route 23, there is actually a small Lincoln plaque on the side of the road that servers as a reminder that Lincoln once traveled the same route during his 8th Circuit Days.

The small downtown area borders the Village Park on the Square. Across from that park is the historic Metamora Courthouse, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately, the courthouse was undergoing renovation and we were unable to go inside.

Across from the courthouse, in the Village Park, is a statue of Honest Abe with his wife, Mary Todd. Here's a photo of the statue with the courthouse in the background.

Metamora is also home to the former home of Adlai E. Stevenson I, who served as Vice President of the United States from 1893-1897. As you can see from this plaque, Stevenson and his wife moved into this house shortly after their marriage, and he practiced law in the Metamora Courthouse. If you recall, we previously visited Stevenson's grave in our post about Bloomington's Evergreen Cemetery.

Metamora was a quick stop, but chock full of history. I hope to visit again once the courthouse renovation is complete and grab some photos of the interior.

In the meantime, the slideshow below contains all my pics from our brief Metamora visit: