A memorial marker will be dedicated this weekend for the man credited with securing Springfield’s designation as the county seat of Sangamon County.
Andrew Elliott ran the city’s first hotel, the Buck Horn Tavern, in 1821, when the county was established. Local lore says that Elliott chauffeured the first county commissioners, who had the job of choosing the county seat… and intentionally drove them on long, uncomfortable paths through the swampy land surrounding the community of Sangamo Town. That led to the commissioners choosing Springfield as the county seat… and ensuring the eventual demise of Sangamo Town.
A memorial marker for Elliott will be dedicated Sunday at Oak Ridge Cemetery, a culmination of the county’s bicentennial observance.
