PETERSBURG, Ill. (AP) - The central Illinois settlement where Abraham Lincoln came of age and began his public life is celebrating its centennial as a state park.
The donation of land near present-day Petersburg that became Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site will be feted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Interpreters will staff the site’s re-created log buildings and areas typically off-limits to the public will be open.
Lincoln lived in New Salem from 1831 to 1837. He failed as a store owner, became a surveyor and launched his political career as a state legislator.
The state accepted 62 acres (25 hectares) on May 19, 1919 from the Old Salem Chautauqua Association for $1. It now covers 750 acres (304 hectares).
Petersburg is 205 miles (330 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.
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