Admitted to the Union in 1818, Illinois quickly abandoned its first governmental center of
Kaskaskia in 1820 due to environmental threats. A second statehouse was built of lumber at the new capital of Vandalia, but it burned down after three years in 1823. The third capitol building was hastily built in 1824 and was the beginning of
Abraham Lincoln's political career as a member of the
Illinois General Assembly in 1834. Elected from
Sangamon County, closer to the
geographic center of Illinois, Lincoln led a central Illinois
caucus that called for the state government to move itself to the growing town of
Springfield. By the beginning of 1836, the building was structurally unsafe to the point that local assemblies refused to convene in it. In response, some townsmen wrote the then governor of Illinois
Joseph Duncan about the situation, who informed them to see if the building could be repaired. After further examination of the cracked walls and sinking floor, a decision was made to tear down and rebuild a new statehouse. Construction took about four months from various regional companies and laborers. The new brick statehouse was unpainted, featuring a
gable roof and a
cupola, and cost $16,000. The new building was intentionally built with larger state office quarters, as it was deemed more important than the moving of the capitol. ==Later capitols==