Patton Log Cabin

The Patton Cabin was built by John Patton in 1829, making it the oldest standing structure in McLean County. Kickapoo and Delaware Indigenous peoples participated in building the cabin along with several “white settlers,” making it the only surviving structure in central Illinois connected with the exchange between white settlers and American Indians.

Patton erected a second structure in 1832, and it was later connected to the original. In 1904, the second structure was razed, and the original moved 25 yards south, to be used as a pigsty. Still intact, the structure was dismantled in 1965 and the logs stored until 1969, when it was reassembled in Lexington. In the 1980s a restoration of the cabin brought it back to most of its original appearance.

If you have worked up an appetite, stop at Uncle Vait’s on your way out of town. This pizza joint is in an old gas station and is a great family-friendly stop. There is a mural and a photo op outside!