New Salem IL

24 log structures like this were reconstructed in the 1930's.


Lois and her younger brother, Walt Wissing, are enjoying a visit at New Salem IL -- 20 miles NW from Springfield IL. Walt and Barbara traveled from Sierra Vista AZ to be here and we came from Palmetto FL. We had a good visit over the 4th of July weekend.

New Salem is a reconstructed village of 24 log buildings that were here in 1831 when Abe Lincoln arrived as a young adult of 21 years of age. This was a construction project of the CCC in the 1930's and we are able to enjoy it in 2009. New Salem existed for only about 10 years and Lincoln lived here for six out of those ten years.

When Lincoln left New Salem in 1837, he traveled 20 miles to Springfield in order to practice law.

The film and the brochure about New Salem says, "From the gangling young man who came to the village in 1831 with no definite objectives, he became a man of purpose as he embarked upon a career of law and statesmanship."

So Lincoln's time in New Salem were very formative. He arrived on a flatboat with no prospects. Then he got some jobs and eventually he was appointed as a postmaster for the village. He read all the newspapers that came in by mail. He read as much as he could and walked eight miles one time to borrow a book on grammar. Lincoln only had one year of formal education; all the rest he did on his own -- very remarkable for a person would became the 16th President of the United States.

In was in New Salem that Lincoln sat under the shade trees and read law books. For work, he split rails, took a flat boat to New Orleans and operated a store, which failed.

The reason New Salem didn't last long as a town was 1) the Sangamon River turned out not to be very navigable and 2) the town lost its bid to become the Menard County seat. From 1840 until 1930 New Salem was pastureland.