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Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site is a reconstruction of the former village of New Salem in Menard County, Illinois, where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1831 to 1837. [1] While in his twenties, the future U.S. President made his living in this village as a boatman, soldier in the Black Hawk War , general store owner, postmaster, surveyor ...
Lincoln's New Salem. NPS Photo. In 1831, Abraham Lincoln was a young man of 22 when he and a couple of companions floated down the Sangamon River in a flatboat on their way to New Orleans. In mid-April, he neared New Salem, Illinois, a small village founded two years earlier by James Rutledge and John M. Camron.
New Salem remains a moving tribute not only to the place and people that transformed Lincoln, but also to the thousands of optimistic pioneer hamlets that have long since disappeared from the American landscape.
July 3 & 4, 2024: 10:00am to 4:00pm – Independence Day Celebration. Celebrate Independence Day at Lincoln’s New Salem with period demonstrations and the reading of the Declaration of Independence each day. September 6 & 7, 2024: 6:00pm to 10:00pm - Bluegrass Concerts.
Lincoln made frequent visits to the Rutledge home where he and Ann spent many hours walking the landscape of Sandridge together. Lincoln’s law partner and early biographer, William Herndon, in interviewing a number of one-time New Salem residents, uncovered the story of a romance between the two.
Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site is a CCC reproduction of the early 19th century New Salem, where Abraham Lincoln spent over 6 years of his life at as a young man. The site is owned and operated by the State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Lincoln’s introduction to New Salem and its residents smacks of destiny. In March 1830, while the tiny settlement was in its early stages, Lincoln set out on the course that would intersect with New Salem. He was part of an entourage that migrated from southern Indiana to Macon County, Illinois.
