The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-11-22
LllsUULN ULLhUL
Old Salem, Made Famous in Stories OF
Great Emancipator, VIII be
Brought Back to the
Original Shape.
PLANS ARE UNDER WAY
Drawings Have Been Made by One
Who Spent His Youth There
and VIII be Accurate
and Historic

Plans for the restoration OF the
village which once thrived upon inc
top Of Old Salem hill and which was
enea-tha hah..ation. ct Abraham Lin
coin during s.ss young ritanfTfSsseesss?. re
about to be gotten underway. Ine
sites which mark the buildings where
Lincoln engaged In the study OF law
kept store and loved Ann Rutledge,
are to be brought to light again.
The Old Salem Lincoln league or
Petersburg expects to undertake the
restoration of the village as it's con-
tribution to the centennial celebration
of the admission OF Illinois into the
union. The plans and the fund for
the undertaking are not yet complete,
but G. f. Nelson, president of the
organization, believes that it is feas-
ible.
Preliminary to the reconstruction.
the organization, this year has sue
ceeded in locating the sites of the
principal buildings and the survey
has been completed for the restoration
of the roads which ran through the
village. The well in front of the
place where the Rutledge tavern once
stood has been cleaned out and is
now in use.
All that remains of New Salem Is
a number of depressions in the ground
where the buildings stood. The Lin
coin league secured the cooperation
of the old residents at Petersburg in
that vicinity in determining the iden-
tity of the various sites. The plat OF
the village which is on file in the
recorders office aided materially in
this Identification
tn, ny,lv 1n
placed on the site Of the Ofutt store,
Rutledge tavern, where Lincoln ivel
for five years and where he fell In
love with Ann Rutledge, the daughter
Of the tavern Keeper; the Lincoln &
Berry store, in which Lincoln owned
a half interest; the Cameron mill by
the river bank; the blacksmith shoI
and the Herndon store.
All Of the buildings were Of log
The difficulty is to ascertain how the
buildings looked, but this difficulty Il
materially lessened by "reminiscences
| of many old residents who spent their
younger days in New Salem. R. j
Onstott, ten years ago prepared a per
spective Of the village, showing the
buildings as he remembered them and
as they had been described to him
He spent his early youth there and
was familiar with the surroundings
This perspective will be relied u2or
largely in making the restoration. Il
| it is definitely determined to under
take the work.
| When the water in the Sangamor
river is low, one end Of the dam used
by the Old Cameron mill can be seen
consequently the site OF the mill is
no way in question.
| The Lincoln league expects to have
the Menard county centennial celebra
ton on the site of Old Salem. II
the restoration idea is carried out, &C
tors dressed to represent characters
of New Salem of Lincoln's day will
move about the village and give a
touch Of realism to it. There will be
an old-fashioned barbecue and some
of the rough sports in which Lincoln
was always a leader.
| The celebration will be the most
unique in the state and is expected tc
attract people from all over the
country who have been made familiar
with the Old Salem scenes by the
many Lincoln stories.