Abraham Lincoln passed through this first courthouse many times from 1849 to 1852, as he practiced law in the Moultrie County circuit court.

The village of Nelson (which no longer exists) had already been developed, and the prairie on which Sullivan would be built lacked proper drainage and was a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

When Abraham Lincoln was campaigning for the state senate against Stephen A. Douglas, he gave a speech in Freeland Grove (now the Sullivan Civic Center parking lot).

Sullivan was home to the Titus Opera House, built in 1871, which was located on the north side of the town square.

The opera house was among the finest in the area, and it hosted a concert given by the great Venezuelan pianist Teresa Carreño.

The opera house was built by a businessman and Civil War veteran named Joseph Titus as both an attraction for high society and a "playground" for his young daughter, Winifred, who grew up to become a talented pianist and singer.

In the early morning of February 20, 1910, the Titus Opera House caught fire and tragically burned to the ground.

This marked the end of a live entertainment era in Sullivan until Guy S. Little Jr. founded The Little Theatre on the Square decades later.

Albert Wyman, a man who immigrated to the United States from Germany, owned a shoe repair and sales shop on the west end of the town square.

While Wyman's will prohibited any kind of sales from occurring on the grounds of the new park, concession stands were built next to the baseball diamonds in the 1960s.

[2] Asa Creek crosses the east side of the city, flowing south to the Kaskaskia River in Lake Shelbyville.

[11] The Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan is a non-profit; it received $20,000 from President Barack Obama's 2009 economic stimulus package,.

[14] A sample of the 700+ vintage hood ornaments of Lynn Huntsburger's collection, located in the board room of the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library.

The museum was established in 1948; Cora Ward died in 1967, and the executor of her estate burned the catalog compilation, so the origin of the over 5,000 items donated by the couple, who travelled widely, is unknown.

[16] During the 1960 presidential election, then-Vice President Richard Nixon held a campaign rally in Sullivan.