Carlinville is a beautiful town with a red-bricked main square, lots of original vernacular architecture, an extraordinary county courthouse, a historic old jail, a location on Route 66, and a strong connection to coal mining in its heritage district of Sears Roebuck mail order homes, one model of which, “The Carlin”, was named after the town itself.

THE TOWN SQUARE

ADVERTISEMENTS FOR THE SEARS HOMES BUILT FOR MINERS

..

The Million Dollar Courthouse

The Old Jail

The prosperity that Carlinville enjoyed is most evident in what’s called “The Silk Stocking District” on East Main Street. This is where Carlinville’s wealthy professionals lived – merchants, bankers, doctors, lawyers. Their Victorian and Federal style homes remain and are privately owned. The district was inscribed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and was also known as “Millionaire Row.”