Abraham Lincoln visited Macomb twice in 1858. His first visit, from August 25 to August 26, was unexpected as he traveled from Augusta to Freeport to prepare for his debate with Stephen A. Douglas. He stayed in Room 31 of the Randolph House, a year-old hotel regarded as the best between Chicago and Quincy, and after the courthouse bell summoned residents, he gave a short impromptu talk from the hotel veranda to an enthusiastic crowd. The next morning, while walking around Macomb with fellow Republican James K. Magie, Lincoln had an ambrotype photograph taken at T. P. Pearson’s studio and joked about the camera, then declined to tidy his appearance, saying it would not be much of a likeness if he fixed up any. Lincoln returned to Macomb on October 26, 1858, again registering at the Randolph House as “A. Lincoln, Springfield,” with a room charge of $2.50. His second visit was greeted with lookouts on the road, ceremonial cannon fire, and a parade of several hundred walkers, floats, and well-wishers. Arriving on horseback, he stopped at the first McDonough County Courthouse yard in the southwest corner and delivered a two-hour speech to nearly 4,000 people despite the rain and muddy streets, while women listened from open windows around the square. Among those present was W.H. Champ, who later recalled Lincoln as a rapid speaker who always hit the nail on the head and remembered the occasion as the day he bought his first overcoat. The McDonough County Courthouse area remains much as it was in 1858, and the present courthouse began with a cornerstone ceremony on August 14, 1869, before its completion in 1872 at a cost of just over $155,000.