New Salem State Park

Black text on white background, black-and-white illustration of a New Salem village store. 

The New Salem State Park is a reconstruction of the village of New Salem in Illinois where President Abraham Lincoln lived from 1831 to 1837. The land was purchased by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst and given to the Old Salem Chautauqua Association in 1906. In 1919, the land was gifted to the state of Illinois and later rebuilt by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. The historic site features log cabins and shops, representing the time period when Lincoln resided there. One of the buildings is the Berry-Lincoln store, owned by Lincoln and William F. Berry. Although Lincoln enjoyed working as a shopkeeper, selling lard, bacon, firearms, beeswax, honey and liquor, the business failed, leaving him with a great deal of debt. Located 20 miles northwest of Springfield, Illinois, New Salem was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and is open to the public for tours of the village, hiking and camping.