Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site

03/14/2022

Campground Host Program - Camping

Do you enjoy camping, interacting with others, and helping the public with a wide variety of questions? If so, we are currently looking for campground hosts in 2022!

Duties include: checking in visitors, monitoring the reservation system, assisting with the care of the campground, and helping visitors plan their trips. Hosts live in their own RV, motor home, or trailer at a designated spot in our campground.

If you have a love of camping and are enthusiastic about working with the public, please complete the Campground Host Packet linked below! All applications can be sent to [email protected].

The campground is open from April 1-October 31.
If you have any questions, please call 217-632-4000.

https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/Parks/Camp/Pages/CampgroundHost.aspx

Anyone, 5 years of age and older, is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Find your nearest vaccination location at vaccines.gov.

03/11/2022

We all may be ready for warmer weather, but there is no denying that Lincoln’s New Salem is beautiful in the snow!

03/04/2022

It was a great day for a little fire to stay warm while teaching some students about Abraham Lincoln!

Want to bring your school group to Lincoln’s New Salem? Go to Visit Springfield to book your next group tour!

02/27/2022

Who’s ready for warmer weather? You can actually hear the ice melting on the Sangamon River this morning!

Make a plan to come visit us soon!

02/24/2022

The historic village is getting yet another blanket of snow today!

02/20/2022

You can reserve you spot up to 6 months in advance at Lincoln’s New Salem!

Think Spring 🙂
For camping and shelter reservations visit
https://camp.exploremoreil.com/
#IDNR #ILcamp

02/18/2022

A beautiful chilly morning at Lincoln’s New Salem!

02/17/2022

We hope everyone is staying safe today! Here is a view of the village at noon today… It may be cold, but the village sure looks beautiful!

02/12/2022

Wrestler, Captain, storekeeper, railsplitter, surveyor, legislator, postmaster, lawyer, and future President of the United States. These roles only scrape the surface of our most famous resident.

Happy 213th Birthday Abraham Lincoln! How are you celebrating our favorite President today?

02/09/2022

The path is clear! Come on out, play in the snow, and learn about our famous resident, who just happens to have a birthday this week!

The Visitor Center will be open today through Saturday from 9am-4pm.

02/04/2022

It’s a Winter Wonderland in the village today!

02/02/2022

Due to the inclement weather, we will be closed on Thursday, February 3rd. We plan to resume normal
operations on Friday, February 4th. Stay warm and safe out there!

02/02/2022

It’s not quite like the Winter of the Deep Snow (1830-1831), but there is a lot of snow already in the ground and we expect more!

Abraham Lincoln and his family first came to Illinois from Indiana in 1830. The Winter of the Deep Snow was their “Welcome to Illinois” moment.

That winter of 1830-1831 Illinois saw snowfall that amounted to over three feet and drifts from 4-6 feet! Due to the freezing temperatures that snowfall that started around Christmas 1830 lasted through March 1831.

Many settlers who lived during that period in Illinois began using the Winter of the Deep Snow as a dating point and wore the badge of honor when talking about making it through that time period.

01/14/2022

camp.exploremoreil.com

Are you looking to reserve a wooded picnic shelter down by the Sangamon River? We now take reservations solely through the IDNR's online reservation system: https://camp.exploremoreil.com/location/288

01/12/2022

We are happy to announce our 2022 Calendar of Events! Don't forget to mark your calendars!

April 23 & 24, 2022: Boy Scouts of America Abraham Lincoln Pilgrimage
June 18, 2022 - Summer Frolic
July 1, 2, & 5, 2022 – Independence Day Celebration
July 15, 2022 – Children’s Day
September 9 & 10, 2022 - Bluegrass Concerts
September 10, 2022 - Traditional Music Festival
October 7 & 8, 2022 - Candlelight Walk
October 22, 2022 - Fall Festival

For full information on the events listed, please visit lincolnsnewsalem.com.

01/03/2022

Good morning and Happy New Year!

The village was gifted with its first small blanket of snow to start off 2022.

Thank you to everyone that visited, volunteered, and made 2021 a great year at Lincoln’s New Salem.

Stay tuned this week, we will highlight in our stories some of our favorite moments from 2021.

11/24/2021

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Lincoln’s New Salem SHS!

We will be closed on Thursday and Friday this week. We’ll see you on Saturday!

11/17/2021

We are beyond grateful for the Menard County Trails and Greenways dedication to cleaning and restoring the trails and highway around our site. If you have any interest in helping them in their mission, please do not hesitate reaching out to them!

11/01/2021

Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site updated their business hours.

Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site updated their business hours.

10/29/2021

You have two days left to visit the Shops of New Salem! They are open today and tomorrow before closing for the season.

Starting November 1st our hours change to Tuesday-Saturday 9am-4pm. Our campground will also be closing this weekend until April 2022.

Thank you all for a great season! We were overwhelmed by the number of visitors that have come to the site this season especially for our events.

We will be posting pictures from Fall Festival and the beautiful Autumn colors on-site in the near future so be on the lookout for that.

10/07/2021

Learn more visit
https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/news/Documents/Prebidmeeting_LincolnsNewSalem.pdf

10/01/2021

Join us in wishing John Richardson a happy retirement!

John retires after 24 years of service out here as a Site Technician! If you have been out to the site, you probably have witnessed John in action maintaining our beautiful historic site. A big thank you to John for all that he did over those years! The site is beyond grateful for his dedication and hard work in making Lincoln’s New Salem better everyday.

09/25/2021

🍁🍂It is a beautiful Fall morning at Lincoln’s New Salem! Come on out and visit us!🍁🍂

09/13/2021

Thanks to everyone for coming out to the 40th Annual Bluegrass Concerts and Traditional Music Festival! It was a beautiful weekend full of music and fun! We greatly appreciate all of the visitors and, of course, the musicians that volunteered their time this weekend.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the 41st Annual Festival next year — always the first weekend after Labor Day!

08/21/2021

While we were holding out hope, we unfortunately have made the difficult decision to not hold the annual Candlelight Walk this year. We earnestly hope that we will be able to bring back this popular event in 2022.

On the bright side, we are currently planning on hosting the Traditional Music Festival on September 11th in the Historic Village from 10-4, as well as the Bluegrass Concerts on Friday, September 10th and Saturday, September 11th- both from 6pm-10pm. Mark your calendars to hear musicians from all over the Midwest!

We hope to see you at Lincoln’s New Salem soon!

08/06/2021

If you are coming from the north to visit us, be sure to follow the detour route!

***Athens Blacktop Closure Update***

Per the Menard County Highway Depaertment, Athens Blacktop will close to through traffic beginning Monday, August 9th and is expected to remain closed until mid-late November. The closure will be from west of Tice Rd. to west of New Salem Bluff Rd.

The alternative/detour route for westbound traffic will be to take Tice Rd. north to IL-123, and then take IL-123 west into Petersburg.

The alternative/detour route for eastbound traffic will be to take IL-123 west out of Petersburg to Tice Rd., and then take Tice Rd. south to the Athens Blacktop.

Please see the attached map/image which outlines this closure and detour. The county highway department will provide updates as this project progresses and we will do our best to share that information.

07/28/2021

Following both IDPH and CDC guidance-we are asking that all visitors (including fully vaccinated individuals) that come into the Visitor Center and/or inside the historic buildings please wear a mask.

Thank you for your cooperation and support of Lincoln’s New Salem!

07/17/2021

We had a great Children’s Day event yesterday (in spite of the rain)! Today is another beautiful day to visit Lincoln’s New Salem!

Come out and meet our interpreters and Oreo! They are very photogenic.

We will be doing the tyring demonstration today at 1:30 at the Johnston’s Residence since the rain deterred us from doing so yesterday.

07/15/2021

Don’t forget! Rain or shine, tomorrow is Children’s Day at Lincoln’s New Salem!

We will have several historic interpreters in the village to interact with. Some special activities that will be happening include:
-Tyring Demonstration at 1:30 (Johnston’s Residence)
-Militia Sign-Up and Drill (Burner Garden)
-Vote viva voce (Hill Residence)
-1830s Period Games (Tavern lawn)

Be sure to check in at the Visitor Center where children will receive a gift bag while supplies last!

07/03/2021

Thank you to everyone for coming out for our Independence Day Celebration! We had a great three days of celebrating, interpreting, and demonstrating.

We will be back Tuesday, July 6th for more fun in the historic village!

07/03/2021

Tyring Demonstration

Today, we finished a wheel created by our wheelwright through a tyring demonstration!

07/01/2021

Our first two readings were a success! Join us tomorrow and Saturday at 10 and/or noon as we parade through the village and read the Declaration of Independence.

06/19/2021

Feels like Summer at New Salem! We had great weather for our first event today. If you missed us today, don’t worry. We are here Tuesday-Saturday 9am-5pm doing demonstrations of 1830s daily life and talking about Abraham Lincoln all Summer long!

06/11/2021

Not sure what to expect when visiting Lincoln’s New Salem this summer? Here is a sneak peek from what visitors encountered today!

We have historic interpreters throughout the village demonstrating 1830s daily life Tuesday through Saturday.

Last picture is of our beautiful Johnston Garden. We hope to see you soon!

06/04/2021

The Museum Store is now open!

The Museum Store is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00am to 4:30pm. Come shop and celebrate the Museum Store turning 100 years old this year!

All proceeds of the Shops of New Salem benefit the New Salem Lincoln League, which in turn supports the site.