Macoupin County Historical Museum
Built in 1883 as a one-story residence by John C. Anderson, it was enlarged as the family grew to 8 children. One of the children , Mrs. Jessie Claude Anderson Crawford spent most of her life in this home before she sold it to the Macoupin County Historical Society. Mrs. Crawford died in 1979 at the age of 97. The home is open for tours during two festivals in the spring and fall and by appointment. See our Calendar of Events page for specific dates.

Macoupin County Courthouse

A visit to Carlinville is not complete without a tour of one of Carlinville's star attractions, the Macoupin County Courthouse. This beautiful structure towers above the landscape and is one of Carlinville's biggest attractions. When it was completed in 1870, the courthouse cost the taxpayers of Macoupin County over $1,300,000 dollars and was one of the two largest county courthouses in the United States. The courthouse is available for tours by calling the Chamber of Commerce at 217-854-2141.

Macoupin County Jail

As part of the Macoupin County Courthouse project, construction of the county jail began in 1867. Designed by E.E. Meyers, who also designed the courthouse, the Macoupin County Jail looks more like a fortress than a small town jail. Its Gothic Revival design features a scalloped parapet with multiple arched windows. It includes a jailer's residence in the upper floors of the parapet which served as home to the sheriff and his family.

Completed in 1869, just a few years after the end of the Civil War, Meyers incorporated a unique design feature that would make escape from the new jail almost impossible; leftover cannonballs were placed in the walls between the layers of stone. This made escape by removing sections of the stone wall a virtual impossibility. The jail was originally designed to hold 17 prisoners but at times saw twice that many, and lacked any of the amenities found in modern facilities. The jail was in operation as recently as 1988, and inmates lived and slept in the original cell block constructed 119 years ago. The old jail is now available for tours by calling the Chamber of Commerce at 217-854-2141.

Macoupin County Historical Society

Dedicated to the study of the area’s history and the preservation of Macoupin County memorabilia, this fine home & outbuildings is a wonderful example of Macoupin County’s past.

Carlinville is home to a district of elegant homes placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Covering most of the west & central sections of the city, it is well worth a visit.

Macoupin County War Memorial

The Macoupin County War Memorial is a permanent reminder of county men and women who served in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Eight black, granite stones are etched with the names of over 600 county residents who served in all branches of the military.

The memorial project was spearheaded by Martin Rogers, a Carlinville native and WWII veteran. Completed in 1996, the Macoupin County War Memorial stands in the southeast corner of the Macoupin County Courthouse grounds.

Historical Marker

This large stone commemorates the spot where Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech on August 31,1858, when he ran against Stephen A. Douglas for U.S. Senate. Visitors can find the stone in front of the United Methodist Church at the corner of South Broad and East First South Streets.

Route 66

Cruise the Mother Road and get your kicks on the original Route 66! From 1926 through 1930, Route 66 followed State Road 4, the first fully paved highway in Illinois. The historic route stretched from Chicago to East St. Louis, passing through the heart of Carlinville. In 1927, Route 66 signs were posted across the eight states between Chicago and Santa Monica, California. However, by 1930, Illinois and Kansas, with their 12-mile stretch of the famed road, were the only states which could boast of having a paved highway. During the '30's and '40's, the section of Route 66 between Springfield and Staunton was relocated twice.

Although Route 66 was decommissioned nationally in 1985 (due to the Interstate Highway System), its popularity and mystique never died. Ten years later, the Illinois Department of Transportation officially recognized the Route 66 revival movement and posted historic markers along its length of the "Main Street of America." Visitors to Carlinville will find it easy to retrace the original Route 66 pathway.