Hi all, it's Sir Frances! I
have just recovered from my long trip to the historic Lincoln's New Salem,
which is right outside of Petersburg, Illinois. Of course, I did not
travel alone. For some reason, car companies refuse to make steering
wheels to fit my little paws. Thankfully, I had my friend Aubrey to drive
and show me around. You see, Aubrey is from Petersburg ,
Illinois, therefore, she has grown up right beside this treasure house of
history!
It took us almost three and a half
hours to get to New Salem from Wham but we made it and were excited to see the
park! The park is located two miles South of Petersburg, Illinois.
Petersburg is a small town with a little over 2,500 people. It's a
quiet little town, which was a nice change from my busy life
in Carbondale! When the people of Petersburg really want
some excitement they travel 20 miles Southeast to visit Springfield, but that's
enough about Petersburg.
Aubrey took me on a tour of New
Salem, which is a reconstruction of the village where Abraham Lincoln spent six
years of his early adulthood. I learned that Lincoln was one busy lad
during his time at New Salem. He clerked in a store, split rails,
enlisted in the Black Hawk War, served as postmaster and deputy surveyor,
failed in business, and was elected to the Illinois General Assembly.
I learned from the
"pioneers," who still maintain all of the duties apart of life in the
1830's, that Lincoln had plenty to do when he wasn’t busy working. The
site consists of twelve log houses, the Rutledge
Tavern, ten workshops, stores, mills, a school, and a church. The site
has been reproduced to accurately portray how this area appeared in almost 200
years ago.
Aubrey and I
were in luck when we visited the site on September 7, 2013 because New Salem
was hosting it's annual Bluegrass Festival! The site was packed with
excited campers and bluegrass fans who were gathered to share their love for
this genre of music and history. Unfortunately, no one was playing while
Aubrey and I toured the site. However, I was still just as excited as a
cat on a hot tin roof to have four paws on the same soil that our 16th
president once stood foot on!
Aubrey and I
had a great time during our visit to New Salem! I strongly recommend that
everyone travels to this site at least once in his/her life!
^^ Here I am at the entrance of the park with my pal Aubrey : )
^^ Here I am surveying the land with Lincoln!
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