Everything about New Salem Menard County Illinois totally explained
New Salem is the name of a former village in
Menard County,
Illinois in the
United States (previously Sangamon County). It was located northwest of
Springfield approximately 3 mi (5 km) south of
Petersburg. It was the location of the 1831 homestead of future
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. It isn't the same as the present village of
New Salem in
Pike County, Illinois.
Original New Salem
New Salem was founded in 1828, when
James Rutledge and
John Camron built a
gristmill on the
Sangamon River. Over the first few years of its existence, the town grew rapidly, but after the
county seat was located in nearby
Petersburg, the village began to shrink and by 1840, it was abandoned. The fact that the Sangamon River wasn't well-suited for
steamboat travel was also a reason for the town's decline.
Lincoln arrived in New Salem by way of flatboat at age 22, and he remained in the village for about 6 years. During his stay, Lincoln earned a living as a shopkeeper, soldier in the Black Hawk War, general store owner, postmaster, land surveyor, rail splitter, as well as doing odd jobs around the village. As far as historians know, Lincoln never owned a home in the village (most single men didn't own homes at this time) however he'd often sleep in the tavern or his general store and board (take his meals) with a nearby family.
The village was home to a cooper shop, blacksmith shop, four general stores, a tavern, a grocery, two doctors offices, a shoemaker, a carpenter, a hat maker, a tanner, a schoolhouse/church, and several residencies. During its short existence, the village was home to anywhere from 20-25 families at a time. It is important to remember that New Salem wasn't a small farm village, but instead a commercial village full of young businessmen and craftsmen trying to start a new life on the frontier.
Reconstructed New Salem
This village was rebuilt on foundations of the original village by the
Civilian Conservation Corps during the
Great Depression. The location is presently a historic park, called
Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site, featuring buildings, mostly
log cabins, and costumed interpreters representing the era of Lincoln's residency. 22 of the buildings are reconstructed and one log cabin, the Onstot
Cooper Shop, is original, although it had been previously moved by Henry Onstot to Petersburg in 1840. In 1922, it was returned to New Salem on what archeologists believe was its original foundation.
Lincoln's New Salem was visited by approximately 600,000 people in 2006. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Active recreational infrastructure centers on the
Mentor Graham Trail, 0.75 miles (1.2 km) long, and the
Volksmarch Trail, 6 miles (10 km) long.
The state park contains 200 campsites, including 100 electrical hookups.
Further Information
Get more info on 'New Salem Menard County Illinois'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://new_salem__menard_county__illinois.totallyexplained.com">New Salem, Menard County, Illinois Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
