The names of the deceased will be read from the courthouse steps
at 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. After each name, the bell on the
historic site’s lawn will toll a single time.
This is the seventh year for the remembrance ceremony.
“Each year, as the names are read, we know that those people were
not only moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers and
sisters, but they were also our friends and neighbors,” said Tom
Martin, chairman of the Mount Pulaski Courthouse Foundation. “All of
them were integral to our community and part of what makes our
hometown special.”
The list of about 90 names which will be read is posted at
www.mtpulaskiil.com.
The list includes Wally Kautz, a courthouse volunteer and later the
site manager, and Betty Hickey, a longtime supporter of area
preservation efforts.
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Built in 1848, the Mount Pulaski Courthouse is one of two remaining sites where
Abraham Lincoln practiced as a lawyer traveling the 8th Judicial Circuit.
Mount Pulaski Courthouse Foundation was established in 2011 to care for the
building and plan special events. For more information, visit
www.mtpulaskihistoriccourthouse.org.
The site is open noon-4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. There is no charge for
admission.
The site is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. IHPA protects
the state’s historic resources, which contribute to education, culture and the
economy. IHPA sites include ancient burial mounds, forts and buildings erected
by settlers, and homes connected to famous Illinoisans.
[Shanta Thoele
Executive Secretary
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency] |