Macoupin County

The County of Macoupin, when Illinois was admitted as a state in 1829, was part of Madison County. In 1829, the state legislature passed an act creating Macoupin Coun ty. The name Macoupin, according to some, has its origin in “Macoupinia” meaning “white potato,” referring to the wild artichoke that grew along the streams. The name of Macoupin was also given to the principal creek that runs through the central part of the county from east to west.

The ‘Million Dollar’ Courthouse

In the fall of 1867, a ceremony was held to lay the cornerstone of what to be the third courthouse of Macoupin County. There were politicians giving speeches, the bands of Bunker Hill and Carlinville performing and the Carlinville Masons holding a solemn ritual. The main speaker, Carlinville Mayor John. M. Woodson said that the cornerstone being laid was the start of rising ‘a structure to be the watchtower of a great and rich people.’ No one there that day would have guessed that it would be three more years before the building was completed, forty years be fore it was paid for, no dedication ceremony would ever take place and even today controversy still exists on what exactly took pace as the Macoupin County Courthouse was built. Read more in MACOUPIN COUNTY, ILLINOIS HISTORY & FAMILIES available in our genealogy library or through this website.