Founded in 1832 by Hiram S. Allen, Middletown became an excellent business location because stagecoaches already passed through on the route from Springfield to Galena carrying passengers and mail. The first lot sold in the original town survey gained historical significance when it was transferred to Hawkins Taylor on June 4, 1833, with Abraham Lincoln as witness to the deed. In 1837 Dr. John Deskins built Middletown's well-known stagecoach inn and tavern on the northwest corner of the public square, and on January 5, 1838, George Dunlap bought the property and operated an elegant nine-room federal-style stagecoach house. Middletown also early established two racetracks, one circular and one straight, where horse racing was held twice a year for two weeks and drew people from across the Midwest. Lincoln likely first saw Dunlap's inn in April 1838 while traveling from Springfield to attend the Taswell Circuit Court at Tremont, and he stopped there many times while riding the Eighth Judicial Circuit, including on his way to the Rivers and Harbor Convention in July 1847 and again on October 10, 1848, with his family. Lincoln had also been active in the area as deputy surveyor in Sangamon County beginning in 1833, and on July 2, 1834, he began a survey at Musick's Ferry on Salt Creek, a mile north of Middletown, then surveyed south through the town, along the public square, and onward toward Jacksonville. In June 1837 Senator Daniel Webster arrived in Middletown by stage while touring the Midwest, and when his coach was delayed by mechanical trouble as it left town, residents recognized him and gathered around, prompting Webster to give a speech.