The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-08-29

r 0rd S Gfedt OppOTtHhlty is
Offered Him-The Rebuild
ing Of NelO Salem, LincoIn'S
old Home.
WE see where Henry Ford has
wv bought an ole court house In
Illinois which Abra1-em Lincoln
once practiced law, bur if Mr., Ford
desires to show his regard for the
rail splitter. we will tell him of a
real opportunity to do it.
THIS opportunity lies over in
Il Menard county, Illinois, on the
banks of the historic Sangamon.
1t is the site of the vanished viii
lage of New Salem into which Lin
coin floated as piece of driftWood
after the family left Indiana and
after the future President had
helped his father clear piece OF
Illinois land.
NNE HUNDRED years ago New
~ Salem with its twenty-five or
thirty log buildings was an ambi-
tious settlement, dreaming OF be-
coming a metropolis but when the
railroad passed it by, New Salem re-
turned to the dust.
Its settlers sleep on the bluff be-
side the river their sons and daugh-
tiers are scattered and until little
while ago nothing remained of the
place but the memories of Lincoln.
THEN the state of Illinois took
il over the high plateau which
once was New Salem and built .
house for Lincoln relics and re-
stored a few of the log houses OF
century ago, but the work has
Jagged and here's an opportunity for
Mr. Ford to step in and finish the
job.
The information is on file to en-
able the restoration to be accurate
and the whole thing would cost less
than $4,000.
n
ATEW SALEM was where Lincoln
~ spent his most colorful years.
There he won the wrestling cham
pionship by throwing Armstrong,
the bad man, who then became his
lifetime champion and whose son
Lincoln later saved from the gall
lows.
There Lincoln became postmaster
so that he might read the papers
that came to the Office.
1T was there he clerked in Offut's
IL store and licked the bully who
insulted the customers; there he
was elected captain in the Black
Hawk war, an honor which he said
in later years pleased him more
than his election to the presidency.
1t was in New Salem that he met
Jack Kelso, the picturesque vaga-
bond with whom he read Shakes
peare and Robert Burns.
TN that old town he bought the
IL barrel sight unseen" from the
passing traveller and on emptying it
was delighted to find among the
rubbish a set of Blackstone's Com
mentaries on the Laws of England,
a book which he devoured, uncon-
sciously laying the foundation of a
career which was to amaze and
charm the world.
+ n
TN New Salem he debated religion,
l. politics, the comet, everything,
meeting all corners in the village
store; there he became the peerless
story teller of the prairies: there he
went into business and failed, call
ing his debt the national debt" but
paying every dollar Of it, though it
took many years; there he met Ann
Rutledge, the only woman he ever
loved.
| COMEHOW we feel that II Lin
| ~ coin could select his own
memorial he would turn aside from
the classic pile Of white marble in
Washington and ask that the old
town be restored.
We believe he would ask that
New Salem rise again; we believe
he would rather look down upon
Rutledge's mill, as it used to be, and
Offcut's store and the home of
Greene and Graham-the old viii
lage up and down whose dusty
streets he strolled.
Here's an opportunity for you,