Lorton's Trading Post
1816 - - 1826
In 1816 while this land area was still a part of the Illinois Territory and before Illinois became a state on December 3, 1818, two brothers named Lorton from St. Joseph, Michigan came to this vicinity and built an Indian trading house which also served as their residence.
Since then, some early authors of local history wrote that it was the first house built by white men within the present limits of Macon County. It also was written that, “...from 200 to 500 Indians were at one time camped about it. The Lortons did a thriving business there for a period of ten years, when the Indians ceased to come... The Lortons left after the Indians disappeared and returned to St. Joe.”
In the year 1828, just before Macon County was established as a county effective January 19, 1829, John Draper settled on the parcel of land surrounding the trading house and resided in the abandoned house. This government owned land had been surveyed and certified with a drawn plat dated March 1, 1823. This land, including the Trading House, was part of an 80 acre tract of land purchased by Mr. Draper from the Federal government on April 15, 1831 for one hundred dollars.
The legal description for this tract was and is: E.½, S.E. Qtr. of Sec.18, T.17N., R.4E. of the 3rd. Principal Meridian and which is now included in Whitmore Township. The Trading House had been built on the high North bank of the Sangamon River located on the northeastern 10 acres of the 80 acre tract. It would have been located approximately 2/10's of a mile southeasterly from this marker.
Marker is at the intersection of Dunbar Road and Caleb Road, on the left when traveling south on Dunbar Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
