Editing Pittsfield, Illinois (section)

==Landmarks==
[[File:John Shastid House (back).jpg|thumb|The [[John Shastid House|Shastid House]], one of the historic buildings in Pittsfield.]]
Pittsfield is home to the most locations in the world that have documented connections to [[Abraham Lincoln]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pikelincoln.com/TALKING_HOUSES.html|title=TALKING HOUSES|website=www.pikelincoln.com|access-date=2020-02-09}}</ref> There are nine homes still in existence in Pittsfield that are connected to Lincoln, including the [[John Shastid House|Shastid House]], where Lincoln often stayed while practicing cases in the county.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=128775|title=The Shastid House Historical Marker|website=www.hmdb.org|access-date=2020-02-09}}</ref> His personally signed documents have been stolen from the courthouse.  Many people in the county have seen them and know they exist.  The public is alerted to watch for them, should they surface at sales, in museums, or private collections.  The dockets listing Lincoln's cases still remain, stored in ancient records in the courthouse basement.<ref name=":0" />

There are many historic landmarks within the city limits, the most notable of which is the Pike County Courthouse. The courthouse was designed by Architect Henry Elliott of Chicago and Jacksonville. Contractors were Yeager and Schultz of Danville, Illinois. The courthouse was to be completed within 400 days after the signing of the contract at a cost of $45,000. Groundbreaking for the courthouse was on May 11, 1894. The cornerstone was laid on July 12, 1894, and the dedication of the new courthouse was on November 16, 1895. Robert Franklin, a master mason from Nebo, Illinois designed and supervised the keystone architecture of the courthouse. It was the third courthouse in Pittsfield and the fifth in Pike County. The building is of octagon shape 96 x 96 feet of Cleveland sandstone veneering, backed by heavy walls of brick; the dimensions over all, is over the steps and porches, is 119 feet by 119 feet. Four entrances, all exactly alike, face the four cardinal points – north, south, east, and west.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pikeil.org/hot_links!/pike_county_courthouse.php#.Xj-dkzFKiUk|title=Pike County Courthouse, Built in 1894, the Pike County Courthouse has dominated the square in Pittsfield for over 120 years|website=www.pikeil.org|access-date=2020-02-09}}</ref>

The entrances are large, double doors of oak and glass and are overhung with beautiful stone porches. The park in which the building stands is 340 feet square. There are four sidewalks leading up to the doors of the courthouse and a sidewalk circles the building. From the center of the building rise the graceful outlines of the tower and dome to an imposing height of 136 feet. The corridors, which cross under the dome are ten feet in width, with marbled tiled floors, wainscoting and frescoed ceilings. Standing on the lower floor in the center of the corridor under the dome and looking upward, one may observe a beautiful concave of colored lights which spans the vault of the rotunda at a point near the top of the main building. The dome roof is of red slate. Total cost of building and fixtures was $68,520. The Pike County Illinois Courthouse is widely recognized as one of the most beautiful courthouses in the state and the Midwest. The Pike County Illinois courthouse was the fifth courthouse designed by Mr Elliott who also designed the Greene County Courthouse (1891) in Carrollton, Illinois; Edgar County Courthouse (1891) in Paris, Illinois; Jersey County Courthouse (1893) in Jerseyville, Illinois; and DeWitt County Illinois Courthouse (1893) in Clinton, Illinois. The DeWitt County Courthouse was demolished in 1987.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pikecountysd.org/history/courthouse/|title=Courthouse|website=www.pikecountysd.org|access-date=2020-02-09}}</ref>

The [[Pittsfield East School|East Ward School]], built between 1861 and 1866, was designed by Architect [[John M. Van Osdel]], who also designed the [[The Palmer House Hilton|Palmer House]] in [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], as well as the [[Illinois Executive Mansion|Governor's Mansion]] in [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield]]. John Houston of [[Griggsville, Illinois|Griggsville]] built the school for the contract price of $35,000, which was financed by bonding. The building is stone (boated from Joliet on the Illinois river) and brick burned in Pittsfield.  Both the grade school and high school were located in this building.  At the completion of the East School in 1866, it was one of the finest and largest buildings of its kind in the state and "fulfilled the requirements of a modern school plant." Original blackboards were simply black paint on the plastered walls. Generally, they were completely around the room, including between the windows. The original building was heated by hot air piped from furnaces in the basement. There were no inside toilet facilities, but there were outside "privies" located east of the building next to the street. Presently, restrooms are in the basement, through the side doors near the front. Its large clock and bell were donated by Colonel Ross and mounted in the tower.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM3Q94_East_School_Pittsfield_IL_USA|title=East School, Pittsfield, IL, USA - Former Schools on Waymarking.com|website=www.waymarking.com|access-date=2020-02-09}}</ref> The Clock Tower is one of the few tower clocks in its original state left in the United States. The school closed in 1955 and was unoccupied until 1978 when it was renovated and became the home of the Pike County Historical Society and the Pike County Historic Museum.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pikeil.org/visit/old_east_school_and_shastid_house.php#.Xj-gmTFKiUk|title=Old East School and Shastid House, The Old East School is architecturally significant|website=www.pikeil.org|access-date=2020-02-09}}</ref>

The William Watson hotel was built in 1838, and called Mansion House, by William Watson, who was the first settler of Pittsfield. The original hotel is said to have been a frequent stop for Abraham Lincoln and many of his contemporaries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whig.com/20170302/william-watson-hotel-in-pittsfield-ranked-one-of-15-coolest|title=William Watson Hotel in Pittsfield ranked one of '15 Coolest'|date=2017-03-02|website=Herald-Whig|language=en|access-date=2020-02-09}}</ref>