Piatt County, Illinois: History
The first settler was George Haworth, a Quaker, followed by James Martin, Abraham Hanline, Solomon Carter, and William Cordell.
Piatt County was formed in 1841 from Macon and DeWitt counties. Two local residents, James A. Piatt and Jesse Warner, were instrumental in forming the county, and it was named for Piatt after he won a coin toss against Warner.
Abraham Lincoln practiced law in Piatt County as a lawyer on the Eighth Judicial Circuit. On July 29, 1858, Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas met by chance on the road between Monticello and Bement, and that evening conferred at Bryant Cottage in Bement to arrange the Lincoln–Douglas debates. A marker south of Monticello commemorates the roadside meeting, and the cottage is preserved as a state historic site.
The first courthouse was begun in 1843 and completed in 1846. It was replaced by the current Piatt County Courthouse in 1904.