At the end of the nation’s most famous senatorial campaign between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, both men appeared on the Stark County courthouse grounds in 1858 to address excited citizens, with Douglas arriving on October 26 and Lincoln following on October 27. Both rode into town at the head of two-mile-long parades, had lunch at local hotels, met distinguished guests, and gave speeches to very large and enthusiastic crowds. The working 19th-century courthouse is one of a handful in Illinois that hosted Lincoln either as a circuit-riding lawyer or as a candidate for elective office. An excellent example of Greek revival architecture, the building’s four massive, two-story Doric columns rise to a majestic cupola, a symbol of democracy visible for miles on the early Illinois prairie. The courthouse was completed at a cost of $10,890 just eight months before Lincoln’s visit. As a member of the Eleventh General Assembly of Illinois, Lincoln assisted in and voted to create Stark County on March 2, 1839. The county was named for Revolutionary War hero Brigadier General John Stark, whose military engagements included Bunker Hill, Trenton, the Battle of Bennington, the siege of Boston, and the invasion of Canada.