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 Lincoln's
New Salem preserves the site of New Salem village, where young Abraham
Lincoln lived for six formative years, from 1831 to 1837. Platted
in 1829, the town existed for about twelve years before being abandoned
and left to pasture. The centerpiece of Lincoln's New Salem is the
imaginative recreation of the log village. Built in the 1930s and
1940s as a Civilian Conservation Corps program, the village features
twenty-three historically furnished buildings, including several
homes, stores, and tradesmen's shops, as well as a tavern, school,
wool carding mill, and a saw- and gristmill. Scattered throughout
the village are log barns and other outbuildings.
The historical village is open during site operating hours, and
visitors are free to walk through at their own pace. Signs on the
log buildings explain various aspects of the village's history,
and on most days, especially during tourist season, interpreters
dressed in period clothing may be encountered throughout the village.
A museum displays artifacts that once belonged to New Salem residents.
A video, Turning Point, telling the story of Lincoln's New Salem
years, is screened in the auditorium every half hour. The visitor
center and concession areas, as well as many of the log houses,
are accessible to persons with disabilities.
At the entrance to the historical village is a visitor center that
houses museum exhibits and a 250-seat auditorium. Adjacent to the
visitor center is a 500 seat outdoor theater. "Theatre in the
Park" presents Abraham!—a dramatic rendering of Lincoln's
New Salem years—as well as other historical dramas and concerts
every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the months of June, July,
and August in the outdoor theater. During the remaining nine months,
the "Chautauqua Series" offers plays, concerts, and lectures
in the visitor center auditorium.
 Also
located near the visitor center and village entrance is a fast-food
concession and small gift shop. The museum store is located at one
end of the village in a stone building erected by the state in the
1920s. The New Salem Lincoln League, a non profit organization made
up of interested local citizens, supports New Salem by raising funds
through the operation of the Museum Store and gift shop.
While the village is New Salem’s greatest attraction, most
of the site's nearly 700 acres are a wooded park with hiking trails,
picnic areas, and playground equipment. The campground contains
eighty electrified and eighty primitive campsites. Two toilet-shower
facilities are located in the campground area.
The historical village is open during site operating hours, and
visitors are free to walk through at their own pace. Signs on the
log buildings explain various aspects of the village's history,
and on most days, especially during tourist season, interpreters
dressed in period clothing may be encountered throughout the village.
A museum displays artifacts that once belonged to New Salem residents.
A video, Turning Point, telling the story of Lincoln's New Salem
years, is screened in the auditorium every half hour. The visitor
center and concession areas, as well as many of the log houses,
are accessible to persons with disabilities.
The site hosts a number of special events. Many programs are supported
by the New Salem Lincoln League, which raises funds through the
operation of its Museum Store and gift shop.
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