Excavation finds courthouse where Lincoln worked

BLOOMINGTON- Archaeologists excavating near the McLean County Museum of History in Bloomington have unearthed part of the footprint of the 1836 courthouse where experts said Abraham Lincoln worked as an attorney.

The discovery happened Monday on the first day of two to three weeks of archaeological work before construction starts on a new entrance into a planned tourism center on the lower level of the history museum. Museum executive director Greg Koos says the find represents "physical remains of an incredibly historical episode in McLean County."

The Pantagraph in Bloomington reports that the courthouse was a two-story brick building and was torn down in 1868 to make way for an Italian-style courthouse.

Archaeologists also found artifacts, including pieces of glass, a pipe stem, ceramic pieces and spikes and nails.