The Pleasant Plains Historical Society
The Clayville Project...
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History
Henry Clay, also known as the “Great Compromiser.” It is home to one of the oldest
brick buildings in Illinois, the Broadwell Inn and Tavern, built in 1834. Also located in the
village is a log cabin built in 1817, a barn, and several other structures. Clayville
functioned as a stagecoach stop between Springfield and Beardstown. It is likely that
President Lincoln dined here as a young lawyer riding the circuit. The small village
offered a blacksmith shop, a schoolhouse, a store building, and a tanyard. An Indian
community was located close by.
Dr. Emmet Pearson bought the property in 1961. After restoring it, he donated it to
Sangamon State University. In 1973, it was opened to the public as the Clayville Rural
Life Center, serving as a tourist destination that hosted educational music, craft and
heritage festivals. Picnics, car shows, concerts as well as blacksmith, leather making,
and other period demonstrations were among the events that took place there.
Sangamon State sold the property in 1992. Looking Forward as citizens, we all hold
an interest in preserving our common heritage. These fading relics of the past teach us
lessons about the bravery, excitement, and hardship of the pioneers who settled this
vast wilderness. We now have a unique opportunity to recapture that excitement, and
secure it to educate future generations about our history. There is much work to do.
We hope you will join us in this effort.
Henry Clay, also known as the “Great Compromiser.” It is home to one of the oldest
brick buildings in Illinois, the Broadwell Inn and Tavern, built in 1834. Also located in the
village is a log cabin built in 1817, a barn, and several other structures. Clayville
functioned as a stagecoach stop between Springfield and Beardstown. It is likely that
President Lincoln dined here as a young lawyer riding the circuit. The small village
offered a blacksmith shop, a schoolhouse, a store building, and a tanyard. An Indian
community was located close by.
Dr. Emmet Pearson bought the property in 1961. After restoring it, he donated it to
Sangamon State University. In 1973, it was opened to the public as the Clayville Rural
Life Center, serving as a tourist destination that hosted educational music, craft and
heritage festivals. Picnics, car shows, concerts as well as blacksmith, leather making,
and other period demonstrations were among the events that took place there.
Sangamon State sold the property in 1992. Looking Forward as citizens, we all hold
an interest in preserving our common heritage. These fading relics of the past teach us
lessons about the bravery, excitement, and hardship of the pioneers who settled this
vast wilderness. We now have a unique opportunity to recapture that excitement, and
secure it to educate future generations about our history. There is much work to do.
We hope you will join us in this effort.