County of Morgan County
Location of county: East-Central in state; crossroads of I-72, US-36, IL-104, IL-111 & US-67, IL-78, IL-267
>Courthouse location: 300 W. State Street
Jacksonville
Founded: 1823
Named After: Daniel Morgan
Elevation: 610 ft (185.9 m)
Population: 32,606 (2021)
The Person:
"Daniel Morgan (1735/36 – July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791–1794.
"Born in New Jersey to James and Eleanor Morgan, a Welsh family. Morgan settled in Winchester, Virginia. He became an officer of the Virginia militia and recruited a company of riflemen at the start of the Revolutionary War. Early in the war, Morgan served in Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec and in the Saratoga campaign. He also served in the Philadelphia campaign before resigning from the army in 1779.
"Morgan returned to the army after the Battle of Camden, and led the Continental Army to victory in the Battle of Cowpens. After the war, Morgan retired from the army again and developed a large estate. He was recalled to duty in 1794 to help suppress the Whiskey Rebellion, and commanded a portion of the army that remained in Western Pennsylvania after the rebellion. A member of the Federalist Party, Morgan twice ran for the United States House of Representatives, winning election to the House in 1796. He retired from Congress in 1799 and died in 1802." ~ Wikipedia
The Place:
"The first settlers began arriving in Morgan County in 1819 but it was not until 1823 that the county was formally organized. Jacksonville was laid out on a 40 acre tract in 1825 and was chosen as the Morgan County seat. Named for General Andrew Jackson, the city was incorporated in 1867.
"The area was originally part of Madison County, which was formed in 1812, before Illinois became a state.
"The present-day counties of Cass and Scott were part of Morgan County until 1837 and 1839, respectively. The boundary line with Cass County was originally farther north than the current boundary which was established in 1845. Morgan County measures 24 x 24 miles or 576 square miles. The county seat is in Jacksonville, which is named after General Andrew Jackson.
"Morgan County has seen 3 courthouses since it was established. The first courthouse was built in 1826 on the Jacksonville square. It was a 2-story frame building 30 x 40 in size. This courthouse burned on December 6, 1827. The second courthouse was built in 1830 and served the county for 39 years until the third courthouse was built. It was in the second courthouse that men such as Stephen A. Douglas served as State’s Attorney and Abraham Lincoln practiced law.
"The third courthouse was started in 1868 and took 1½ years to complete. It was not occupied into until November 1869. The commissioners at that time asked for bids for the new courthouse; the lowest bid was $147,000 by C. R. Underwood. The actual cost of the courthouse was $204,000. The Morgan County Courthouse is a model of simplicity and strength in construction. It is constructed of stone with every third tier running through the entire wall. The exterior stone came from the quarries of Joliet. The architecture reflects the influence of the French Renaissance style in its dormer-windows, towers, arched and rounded windows, and in the pillared and arched front entrance." ~ Morgan County