Mt. Pulaski House Hotel - where the Illinois 8th Judicial Circuit lawyer entourages would quarter, including Judge David Davis.  Abraham Lincoln, however, would leave the hotel conversations and stay with families of local townspeople he knew that were once his neighbors in Springfield:  Jabez Capps' family or Lushbaugh family. 

     "The brick portion of the Mount Pulaski House Hotel was constructed in 1844 by Mr. George Payne.  The frame was added two years later.  The lady depicted is Mrs. John Downing, formerly Miss Ann Vetters.  The gentleman depicted is Mr. Herbert N. Capps, who later moved to Kansas.  Another gentleman pictured in an original photo but not depicted in this mural painting is Herman "Pony" Mattfelt, an uncle of E.O. and Henry Mayer."

     "The new Roth building on the north west corner of the square is to be a two story structure, modern in every respect.  The front will be of pressed brick and plate glass.  On the ground floor, there are to be three store rooms, two of which will be 80 feet in length by 20 feet in width, while the third will measure 120 feet in length and 20 feet in width. 
     The second story will contain two suites of offices and a lodge room, which, when completed, will be the finest in Logan County.  There will be a basement under the whole, giving the tenants very fine storage rooms.  Thus, our progressive little city adds another fine structure to its list of good business blocks.
     Contractor A.C. Wilson has the brick work completed to the first floor, and carpenter contractors Snyder and Snyder have placed the joists in position on the south and middle rooms.  On the site of the new building is where the Mt. Pulaski House stood for over a half a century.  The above picture [left] was taken just a short time before it was torn down in the spring [1901].
     This structure of early architecture will long live in the minds of Mount Pulaskians and central Illinois people.  It was at the Mount Pulaski House where our martyred Abraham Lincoln stopped for [relaxation & conversation] when here on court duties."

   
                Mt. Pulaski Weekly News - 1902