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John Patton Log Cabin

Historic building
In Lexington, Illinois
0.1 mi from Route 66
National Register of Historic Places

Built in 1829, the John Patton Log Cabin, a settler's home, stands in Lexington, IL, less than a mile off the old road. It was built with help from Kickapoo neighbors and later became one of the first polling places in McLean County. Now set in a Lexington Park District park and run as a museum, it is the county's only surviving early government building and a quiet contrast to Route 66 car culture.

What is John Patton Log Cabin?

This is a simple log home in a rustic style, the kind of building early settlers raised in central Illinois. It now stands in a park run by the Lexington Park District and serves as a museum. The cabin is also the only remaining trace in the county of early contact between European settlers and Native Americans, which gives a small building a large story.

History of John Patton Log Cabin

John Patton came from Switzerland County, Indiana, and settled beside a Kickapoo village nearby. About three months after arriving, and with the tribe's help, Patton raised his cabin in 1829. After McLean County formed in 1831, voters cast ballots at the cabin, making it one of the county's earliest polling places and, in time, its only surviving early government building.

By the late 1960s, local residents wanted it saved. Working with the City of Lexington, they had the cabin moved to its present spot and repaired in 1969. It was listed on the National Register in August 1986.

Visiting John Patton Log Cabin: tips

Lexington is less than a mile off the old road. Since it is a museum, check ahead for visiting times before counting on a look inside; the log walls are worth seeing from the park either way. Allow half an hour. The David Hyatt Van Dolah House, a turreted brick home known as The Castle, is about 0.8 mile away, and the Matthew T. Scott House is about 7 miles.