- Abraham Lincoln lived in New Salem from 1831 to 1837 before moving to Springfield.
- New Salem was largely abandoned by 1840, but reconstructed in the 1930s.
- Nearly 360,000 people visited New Salem in 2024.
As Illinois Department of Transportation crews do roadwork nearby on Illinois 97, Carol Shafer points to the New Salem Saw and Grist Mill, literally the start of the village from the 1820s, about two miles south of Petersburg.
Here, she said, villagers got their first glimpse of a young Abraham Lincoln, whose flatboat became stuck on the dam of the grist mill’s pond. They also witnessed Lincoln’s ingenuity in righting the flatboat and eventually easing it over the dam, prompting a local shopkeeper to offer Lincoln a job.
Now, floorboards have rotted out, prompting the ramp to the mill to be blocked off. Below, the mill’s drive shaft has been stuck in the weeds since the Sangamon River flooded in 2016.
"It’s depressing to see it in this shape," said Shafer, a member of the New Salem Lincoln League, a volunteer group designed to enhance visitors’ experience of the village, where Lincoln lived from 1831 to 1837.
League members said time and the natural elements have taken their toll on buildings throughout the reconstructed village so much so that regulars think twice about bringing guests to one of the crown jewels of the Lincoln sites, which attracted close to 360,000 visitors in 2024.
They are backing legislation from a pair of local lawmakers that would appropriate $5 million in state capital funds for New Salem site improvements and create a 13-member ongoing preservation commission that could point out repairs and exact costs.
League president Gina Gillmore-Wolter said that without swift intervention, "we risk losing these historical assets."
Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, who is sponsoring the Senate bills, said at a Feb. 26 news conference that the state should be "showcasing" New Salem and called the site’s condition "unacceptable."
McClure said officials at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) have indicated that repairs are more in the range of $19 million.
IDNR has operated 56 historic sites around the state since 2017.
According to information sent to The State Journal-Register by IDNR, it has $1 billion backlog of deferred maintenance, but under Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration has been focusing on adding staffing to state parks and historic sites.
New Salem has seven employees compared to about 20 two decades ago.
On a tour last week, Gillmore-Wolter said one of the most distressing parts of New Salem state was the collapse of part of the roof at Hill’s Carding Mill, a replica of where villages would have brought fleece to have spun into fabric. It is one of only three animal-operated mills in the world and was featured in the 1978 TV mini-series "The Awakening Land."
"This is an historical asset that is literally rotting," she said.
Other buildings have further deteriorated since Gillmore-Wolter said she was at the site in December with McGuire, State Rep. Wayne Rosenthal, R-Morrisonville, and IDNR officials.
Some had mold so thick on roofs that saplings were sprouting, including the Berry-Lincoln Store.
"It’s not going to get any better by ignoring it. (The state has) to do something," Gillmore-Wolter said. "(People are) not trying to blame anybody. Just own it and ally with people who are willing to help you. We don’t want an adversarial relationship. We want to help them get the funding they need, put together a group who can keep an eye on this place.
"This shouldn’t come down to public outrage to get something done out here."
A little over $2.1 million in upgrade projects coordinated through IDNR’s Office of Realty and Capital Planning and the Illinois Capital Development Board have been addressed.
New Salem is the only IDNR historic site which has hired a full-time carpenter.
Among the problematic structures the agency planned to remove was the pedestrian bridge over Illinois 97.
The league, said Gillmore-Wolter and Shafer, has invested over $1 million in the site since the 1980s, accounting for everything from LED lights to supplying rail fencing to providing for the sealing and cleaning of outdoor statues.
McGuire said he has talked to the governor’s office, and it is aware of the bill requesting funding, but it can’t repair the site until it gets the money to do so "and that’s up to the governor and the General Assembly to come to an agreement.
"I know Gov. Pritzker," he added, "is a big fan of President Lincoln (and) many members of the General Assembly are big fans of President Lincoln, so it’s time to put your money where your mouth is."
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
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