Travel Back To The 1830s At Lincoln's New Salem Historic Site In Illinois
By Melissa Mahoney|Published March 02, 2021
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I've worked in the entertainment industry for much of my adult life and I love photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world! Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream.
When Abraham Lincoln was a young adult, he moved to the village of New Salem, a relatively new community established in 1829. He lived there from 1831-1837 and these formative years served as a turning point in his career. Today, visitors can take a self-guided historical tour through the reconstructed village that was built to look the way it did when the future 16th president lived there.
Let’s step back in time to the 1830s when Abraham Lincoln lived in New Salem.
Lincoln's New Salem Historic Site sits on 700 acres and is located about 20 miles from Springfield in the town of Petersburg. With its acreage, miles of hiking trails, museum, and history, this is a perfect place to spend an entire day.
The original village was all but abandoned by 1840. It was later reconstructed as it looked when Lincoln was a resident and opened as a living museum complete with actors dressed in the fashion of its heyday.
Start at the Visitors' Center where you can watch an 18-minute film that introduces you to the site. Walk around the building's museum to see exhibits on New Salem and Abraham Lincoln.
No admission fee is charged for the site or the center, but there is a suggested donation.
During the time of his New Salem residency, Lincon performed a variety of jobs. He worked as a rail-splitter, store clerk, soldier, surveyor, and postmaster. In both 1834 and 1836, he was elected to the Illinois General Assembly. You will learn more about his role in the community when you visit.
There are 23 reconstructed buildings on the property including workshops, stores, mills, a school, and log houses where you will learn the history of the original residents.
Many of the 19th-century furnishings you will see throughout the site were actually used by the people of New Salem. Elements like these, as well as actors wearing clothes from that time period, will make you feel like you stepped right into the 1830s.
While the Visitors' Center and historic site are open year-round, the concessions and gift shop are only open from April through October. There's also a campground open during that time with 200 campsites and two shower buildings.
It's a fantastic place to spend a day or weekend, learn history, and enjoy the natural surroundings.
Have you visited this historic site? To take a virtual tour or plan a visit, head to the Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site website and Facebook page.
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