Left to right: Patrick Bree as Nathaniel Whittaker, plaintiff; Sam Fielden as Reuben Miller, defendant; Mark Foley as Abraham Lincoln, lawyer for the defendant; Brady Walsh, an eighth-grader, as John Hurt, bailiff; Samantha Fanning as Mrs. Miller, wife of the defendant; Justin White as Judge David Davis; Rebecca Henrichsmeyer as Matilda Whittaker, wife of the plaintiff; Timothy Koehler, foreman of the jury; Caleb Coppinger as Preacher Uriah Schwalb; Jordan Taylor as narrator; Derek Baunach as David Campbell, lawyer for the plaintiff; and seated, Nick Raineri, an eighth-grader, as Raspus Finfrock, Mount Pulaski House bartender.

Performances at Mount Pulaski Courthouse remember Lincoln [February 14, 2011]  MOUNT PULASKI -- Mount Pulaski celebrated Abraham Lincoln's birthday on Saturday with four presentations in the second-floor courtroom of the Mount Pulaski Courthouse. The Mount Pulaski High School Drama Club performed the re-enactment of the 1850s Cast-Iron Tombstone Trial with Abraham Lincoln and Judge David Davis at two showings in front of packed courtroom audiences. (Click on pictures for larger images.)

Bloomington lawyer and author Guy Fraker spoke on the 1850s Illinois 8th Judicial Circuit, and Chris Vallillo closed the day with a wonderful musical and narrative performance of Abraham Lincoln-era ballads and stories that took Abe from his early Kentucky home through Indiana and on to Illinois and the presidency.

Donna Koehler did a masterful job with her students, using the bicentennial script that was written locally for Mount Pulaski's celebration of Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday in 2009. Mark Foley, who portrayed Abraham Lincoln, was pressed into double duty, as he had to be whisked away by his parents for a makeup varsity basketball game with Tri-City following the first performance at 2 p.m. and then quickly returned for the second performance at 5 p.m. Mark played three quarters of the game, but true to the character that he portrayed in the re-enactment, kept his promise to completely honor his first commitment, as Abe would have done over 150 years ago.

Mrs. Koehler employed a PowerPoint presentation at the end of each performance, during the final narrative explanation of the trial and its actual lower and higher court results, showing some of the structures, personalities and tombstones that were involved in this historic trial, one of two such trials in Logan County during the 1850s -- one at the Mount Pulaski venue of the county seat and the other at the new Lincoln venue -- each with the same defendant but with different plaintiffs. A more detailed explanation of these two trials may be found in Paul Beaver's recently released book, "Abraham Lincoln in Logan County, Illinois 1834-1860."

Guy Fraker pointed out that Logan County voted every time for Abraham Lincoln in his state and national candidacies, while Sangamon and Menard counties did not. Fraker offered an interesting view that perhaps our "16th president had more of an influence on Logan County than Logan County had on him."

In the wider view, taking his presidency into consideration, this would no doubt be a truism. But in the short run, it appears that Mr. Lincoln did grow in character and matured as a lawyer and legislator from his work on the Illinois 8th Judicial Circuit, which included Logan County. Further, Paul Beaver noted in his book what Judge Lawrence Stringer once wrote: "Lincoln's mind and character was most happily fostered by the free life of the circuit, and it was this which largely molded the man, in the formative period of his career."

Fraker concluded that Mount Pulaski has to be complimented on "keeping the torch alive" in the memory of Abraham Lincoln, who worked in this very courthouse, visited with the town's citizens in the Mount Pulaski House across the street, and dined and slept in homes of his old Springfield friends down these very streets.

Chris Vallillo performed his "Abraham Lincoln in Song," combining mid-1800s music and his extensively researched Lincoln stories into a fabulous and crowd-pleasing presentation of the time period of Abraham Lincoln.

Vallillo noted that "Dixie" was one of Abraham Lincoln's favorite songs, and though it had been adopted as the "Confederate anthem," it nevertheless was written in the North for pre-Civil War minstrel shows to reveal the Southern culture in music. In fact, President Lincoln had bands strike it up on many occasions, including the celebration day that marked the end of the Civil War.

Throughout the day at the courthouse, delicious cookies and cake were served. The Mary Todd Lincoln almond cake was served following Vallillo's virtuoso performance, rewarding both the audience for its participation and the performer for his genius.

The Rev. Barbara Stroud-Borth, Wally Kautz and Phil Bertoni organized the performances; Helen Schmidt baked the cookies; and Mike and Jennifer Richner of Topper Catering researched and prepared the Mary Todd Lincoln cake. Many other Mount Pulaski 175th Anniversary Committee members were on hand during the day and evening. It was estimated that 160 people visited the courthouse, some making their travels from Decatur, Springfield, Lincoln, Shelbyville and Quincy.

[By PHIL BERTONI]