Did you know?
Under the constitution and laws the judges of the Supreme Court were required to hold the circuit courts; Judge Wilson was assigned to the Fourth Judicial Circuit, including the counties of Clay, White, Edwards, Wabash, Lawrence, Wayne, Clark, Crawford, Edgar, Coles and Vermilion, and under that arrangement he held the first court ever held in Louisville, Illinois.
Clay county was formed from territory taken from Wayne, Fayette, Lawrence and Crawford counties and was erected into a county in 1824; the first court was held in the county at Maysville, now Clay City, at the house of John McCawley. By an act of the legislature, James Bird, Israel Jennings and John II. Morris were appointed to locate a permanent county seat for the new county; accordingly they located the county seat at Louisville and the first court was convened here on the 30th day of August, A. D. 1841. with Judge Wilson presiding.
He held the court at Maysville for the year 1828 and continued to hold court there up to and including the year 1835, and the March term, 1841; the August term, 1841, he held at Louisville, and thereafter he continued to hold the court here until the expiration of his term of office in 1848.
Judge Wilson departed this life at his home in Carmi, Illinois, on the 29th day of April, 1857; he left his widow, Mary Wilson, surviving him, and Charles, Thomas, Robert, John, Ellen and Mary Wilson, his children, and Gertrude Wilson, a grandchild, an only child of a deceased son, Philip Wilson. He left a will disposing of his vast estate, consisting of a large amount of personal property and several thousand acres of lands located in various counties in Illinois. He gave his widow the one thousand acre tract on which he some times lived, near Carmi, and a large amount of personal property.
Located just 25 miles south of Effingham, IL. Louisville, is the perfect get away that won't drain your gas tank.
You can browse unique shops and enjoy the hospitality of our charming cafes then relax in a comfortable turn of the century setting!
Be surrounded by a living town being revitalized by its restoration efforts. Many of Louisville's shops and residents still occupy the original buildings from the period of the town’s founding in 1859.
See all that Louisville has to offer and take that short drive on Highway 45 and spend the day with us!
Clay County Historical Society Museum
105 S. Main St.
Louisville, Illinois 62858
Hours: Open by appointment
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On the east side of the square in Louisville, the Clay County Museum occupies the former Clay County Jail and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is open to groups or individuals by appointment by calling Tim Jones at 314 570 1348.
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