Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site (IL)
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Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site
Lincoln's New Salem Entrance
Built around 1835 this home housed the family of Henry Onstot, the town cooper. The Onstot's lived at New Salem until 1840.
A cooper shop is the place where town residents could purchase buckets, tubs, and barrels. Henry Onstot operated this shop from 1835 to 1840 when he moved to Petersburg. This is the only original structure at the New Salem site.
Alexander Trent, his brother, and their families lived in this small cabin. Alexander was briefly both a tavern owner and ferry operator in the early 1830's.
Joshua Miller and his brother-in-law Jack Kelso brought their families to New Salem in 1832. They lived in opposite ends of the structure with the open area in the center serving as a dining/sitting area.
Joshua Miller, whose home is pictured previously, operated this blacksmith shop. A very successful business, the shop was an integral supply point for surrounding farms.
Waddell and his family lived in New Salem from 1832 to 1838. Waddell made a living as a hatter, or maker of hats. With quite a large family, this must have been a very busy location 170 years ago!
This structure was raised not long after the founding of New Salem in 1828. Nicknamed a "blab" school, the children who attended here learned by repeating, out loud, their daily lessons.
Isaac Gulihur, his wife, and one son only lived in New Salem for a couple years from 1832 to 1834. After a failed bid to become the community coroner he packed up and moved to Knox County, IL.
Robert Johnson and his family moved to New Salem in 1832. Johnson supported himself through a number of skills such as a wheelwright, woodworker, cabinet maker, and mill gear maker, among other things.
Upon arrival in New Salem Isaac Burner purchased the twin lot this house sits on for a reasonable price of $10. Burner and his family lived here only until 1835 when he moved to Knoxville, IL.
Samuel Hill opened his carding mill in May of 1835. A carding mill is a place where patrons could bring their wool to be made into yarn for various uses. The mill was a bustling center of activity during Lincoln's time at New Salem.
This small general store was built by James and Rowan Herndon in 1831. For whatever reason, the following year they sold it to William Berry and Abraham Lincoln. A popular gathering place, it was a place where Lincoln interacted with the public a great deal. Quickly outgrowing the small building, Berry and Lincoln moved to a new, larger building across the street in 1833.
20-year old Francis Reginer opened his practice in New Salem in 1832 after purchasing the property from one Henry Sinco. Like many businessmen in New Salem his stay was brief, as he left in 1834.
Peter Lukins built this house in 1831 but only lived here a year. In 1832 he moved to nearby Petersburg, which he co-founded, and sold the home to Alexander Ferguson. Ferguson lived and worked here (as a leather worker) until eventually also leaving in 1840.
Samuel Hill was an early resident of New Salem, arriving and building this house in 1829. Hill operated a store here as well as, later, a carding mill. He lived here for quite a while by early New Salem standards finally moving on in 1840, a full 11 years!
Dr. Allen was a Vermont native who moved to New Salem in 1831. He lived here with his wife, who passed away after only two years of marriage, and founded the local temperance society. Dr. Allen moved to Petersburg in 1840.
This structure is generally regarded as the communities oldest, dating back to 1829. The store passed through no less than three owners before being sold to Berry and Lincoln in 1833. For whatever reason the store continued to be unsuccessful and eventually, as Lincoln put it, "winked out."
James Rutledge, co-founder of New Salem, opened this tavern in the early 1830's. The tavern, as expected, was a center of public gathering in the town and never had trouble keeping in business. The tavern served the area through the mid-1800's.
John Herndon and his new bride moved to New Salem from Kentucky in 1831 and built this modest dwelling. He was the first owner of the Berry-Lincoln store first co-owning it with Berry, then selling his share to Lincoln. Tragically, in 1833, Herndon accidentally shot and killed his wife and soon thereafter moved out of New Salem.
This little store had a brief yet important history at New Salem. It was here that a young Abraham Lincoln first visited New Salem as a flatboat operator for Offutt. Lincoln at the time was running flatboats from Springfield to New Orleans. Offutt soon built this store, in 1831, though it went out of business within a year.
Located above the river next to the future Offutt store, this store catered to those working the Sangamon River. Its primary stock was hard liquor of which it had plenty. In addition to the store, William Clary established a ferry at New Salem. Relinquishing ownership in 1833, Clary returned to his native Texas in 1833.
This is a recreation of the flatboats that regularly plied the Sangamon River during Lincoln's time at New Salem. In fact, it was working on a flatboat not unlike this one that Lincoln first set foot in the area. This replica is located outside the park along Hwy. 97.
