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Fayette County, Illinois
Fayette County,
organized in 1821, is named for the Marquis de
Lafayette, Gilbert du Montier, who helped the colonists
defeat the British in the Revolutionary War. The 22,000
present-day residents of Fayette County are spread among
its cities, which include Bingham, Brownstown, Farina,
Hagarstown, Loogootee, Ramsey, Saint Elmo, Saint Peter,
Shobonier and Vandalia.
The
National Road, also known as the Cumberland
Trail, is the first byway heading west across the United
States, and runs from Cumberland, MD, through Wheeling,
WV, Columbus, OH, Indianapolis and Terre Haute, Ind.,
then through Vandalia on its journey west. Vandalia is
the Fayette County seat, located about 70 miles
northeast of St Louis.
Vandalia
actually was the first capital of Illinois, from 1819 to
1839. The Vandalia
Statehouse was constructed in 1836 in an
unsuccessful attempt to prevent the seat of state
government from being moved to Springfield. President
Abraham Lincoln served as a state representative at the
Vandalia Statehouse, the oldest existing capitol in the
state.
To further commemorate Lincoln’s impact on Vandalia, a
park is being constructed across the street from the
statehouse. The focal point of Lincoln Park will be a
life-sized stature of the former president, sitting on a
bench reading a newspaper. Other sites for Vandalia
visitors: the Old
State Cemetery, the Fayette
County Museum, the Little
Brick House and the 18-foot Madonna
of the Trail statue, one of the 12 statues
scattered across the United States. It was erected in
1928 by the National Society of the Daughters of the
American Revolution to mark national trails created and
used in this country's early years. The Vandalia
monument marks the terminus of the National Road.
For outdoor enthusiasts, there’s Vandalia Lake for
water sports, and several golf courses. Nearby outdoor
recreation includes Carlyle
Lake, the Stephen
A. Forbes State Park, and the Vandalia
Country Club.
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