WHITESVILLE, Ky. — Four area land owners were the successful buyers of 158.53 acres of hill pasture land east of Whitesville in Daviess County, Ky., sold at auction in May. The auction brought $704,601, or $4,445 per acre. A 22-acre tract with a ‘60s-era brick home with implement shed sold for $7,100 per acre. The remaining tracts ranged from $4,800 for a 24.75 acre tract with wide frontage to a 50-acre tract with 50 feet of frontage that sold for $3,450 per acre. For more information, contact Amy Whistle at Kurtz Auction & Realty Company, amy@kurtzauction.com or 800-264-1204.

 

ELKHART, Ill. — On Aug. 1, Fine & Co. LLC will auction the Old Gillett Farm, Drake Lane, Elkhart, Ill., 15 miles north of Springfield, Ill., with its 10,000-squarefoot mansion and additional family home, barns and other improvements. Never before offered for sale, this auction represents a unique opportunity to purchase one of the most important historic homes on 786 acres in Illinois. “Abraham Lincoln was a lifelong friend, and the family’s lawyer, Adlai Stevenson, wrote some of his presidential campaign speeches on the screened porch,” said Michael A. Fine, principal of Fine & Company. “

 

In his day, Gillett, a cattleman, owned 20,000 acres. He imported Durham cattle from Scotland and developed the Shorthorn breed. He shipped more than 2,000 head of cattle and 1,000 had of hogs to Europe annually. For many years, the quiet town of Elkhart was the largest shipping point on the Chicago and Alton Railroad to Chicago’s Stockyards.

The property encompasses much of Elkhart Hill, the highest point of land between Chicago and St. Louis and where on a clear day you can see  Springfield. At the base of the hill is the site of the 1819 Kentucky House where Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas and other lawyers of the day stopped on their circuit rounds. It was built on the Edwards Trace, a 100 mile route from Peoria to St. Louis. The only remnant of the trace today is on Elkhart Hill where the wagon tracks can still be seen. The property features tillable land, pastures, protected mature woodlands, a pond, and amazing unobstructed views.

The property is being offered at auction in its entirety or in 10 separate tracts. For bidders bidding on the tracts containing either Tract A (Gillett House), Tract B (Drake House) or Tracts C & G (two home sites), sealed bid are due on or before 2 p.m. CT on Aug. 1. The agricultural tracts will be sold in a live auction event at 10 a.m. Aug. 10.

A detailed Bidder’s Information Packet is available for the property. The purchase of the packet is required to bid. Inspection Appointments and Packets may be obtained at 312-278-0600, Ext. 101.