Land of Lincoln
Your Chicago reporter picked up some fun real estate facts while passing through Lincoln, Ill. over the weekend (Logan County Courthouse above, built in 1905). Here's what you didn't know about the first city named after our 16th president: 1) It was launched by the railroad.Springfield and Bloomington are almost 60 miles apart, and 19th-century steam trains required a stop every 30 miles; 2) To create Lincoln, the Town Site Co purchased the land area from Isaac and Joseph Loose for $1,350 in 1853. Guess who was attorney on the deal? (Hint: Honest Abe); and 3) When town lots went up for sale later that year, over 90 lots sold in one day and the Town Site's proceeds exceeded $6,000. To cap it off, Abe himself christened the town with watermelon juice!
Fear of spiders is arachnophobia. Fear of tight spaces is claustrophobia. Fear of Tom Thibodeau is called logic. [email protected]
