John J. Spillman's Blacksmith and Pattern Shop

During the mid-1800s, John J. Spillman ran a blacksmith and pattern shop on the south side of Court Street, the second door west of Fifth Street. Spillman and David Lawler made an agreement concerning a plow. Lawler gave Spillman a promissory note for $30, apparently for the plow. Lawler failed to pay, so in August of 1851 Spillman sued Lawler in the Justice-of-the-Peace court. Lawler filed a set-off of $15, but the Justice of the Peace ruled for Spillman and awarded $30.65. Lawler then retained Abraham Lincoln as his attorney and in September of 1851 appealed the ruling to the Tazewell County Circuit Court. A jury ruled that Spillman was to give $20 to Lawler and that Lawler must return the plow to Spillman. The parties then agreed on a judgment in Lawler's favor.

The accompanying illustration is a detail from an 1877 aerial map of Pekin, showing what the lot where Spillman's shop was located looked like at the time. The buildings shown may once have housed Spillman's business.