The amusing design is based on a story from Lincoln's early legal career.
While in Taylorville to try cases in the 1840s, it was said that the sounds
of pigs squealing under the courthouse floor caused him to ask the judge for
a "writ of quietus" to calm the commotion. At the time the unfenced courthouse consisted
of a small frame building with a raised floor, allowing small animals to squeeze
under it. This structure is now located on the east side of town at the county
historical society.
McClarey Statue in
Taylorville, Illinois
If you visit the Christian County Courthouse you will see a light-hearted
Lincoln statue at the northwest corner. It depicts Lincoln as a
circuit-riding lawyer with a small pig at his feet. Titled "The Last Stop,"
referring to the town's location on the Old Eighth Judicial Circuit, the
bronze work was sculpted by John McClarey. It was dedicated on May 28, 1995, the gift of
the Monte Siegrist family.
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