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1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site provides
3 a historic, interactive interpretation of the reconstructed
4 1830s village where Abraham Lincoln once lived, which at one
5 time, when it was a premier site, hosted more than 400,000
6 visitors from around the world per year; and
7 WHEREAS, Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site has
8 experienced extensive deterioration of the reconstructed log
9 homes, roofs, buildings, foundations, chimneys, fences, steps,
10 footbridge, flatboat, cemetery, and iconic Grist Mill; and
11 WHEREAS, Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site attracts
12 students on field trips, volunteers, campers, hikers, canoeing
13 and kayaking enthusiasts, college interns, cyclists, children
14 partaking in Pioneer Life Summer Day Camps, historians,
15 visitors from around the world, and descendants of those who
16 lived, worked, and are buried there; and
17 WHEREAS, Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site serves as
18 a living history museum, with volunteer interpreters in the
19 homes, and features concessions, a gift shop, campgrounds,
20 exercise areas, and trails; the site also hosts a number of
21 events, including the Traditional Music Festival, Theatre in
22 the Park, Summer Frolic, the Independence Day Celebration,
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1 which features a reading of the Declaration of Independence,
2 the Fall Festival, the popular annual Fall Candlelight Walk,
3 Boy Scouts of America (BSA) jamborees, and the BSA Abraham
4 Lincoln Pilgrimage, where scouts hike while retracing
5 Lincoln's footsteps to Springfield; and
6 WHEREAS, Over the past 40 years, the New Salem Lincoln
7 League has invested more than a million dollars in programs
8 and improvements to Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site,
9 including introducing new cultural and educational programs in
10 the village and outdoor theater, purchasing traditional wood
11 shingles to replace the village structures' roofs and treated
12 wood to replace cabin porches and steps, paying for the site's
13 iconic statues to be professionally cleaned, treated, and
14 restored, financing new LED lighting to save the site
15 thousands of dollars, funding the veterinary care and
16 transportation for medical care of the site's animals, and
17 acquiring a horse, a horse trailer, feed, and hay; the league
18 has also made a number of enhancements to the Visitor Center
19 and its parking lot, including the production of an
20 orientation video and the addition of a new state-of-the art
21 system to replace the center's aging audiovisual equipment;
22 and
23 WHEREAS, The New Salem Lincoln League relies on the work
24 and dedication of volunteers to make Lincoln's New Salem State
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1 Historic Site a memorable experience for visitors, and in
2 turn, provides supplies and materials for volunteer efforts,
3 such as clothing, materials for demonstrations, candles for
4 the annual candlelight tour, and meals for all volunteers and
5 staff during those tours; the league has also worked with
6 Theatre In the Park, which attracts over 10,000 visitors a
7 year, funding new seating and a new sound board, and it
8 partners with the Illinois College Explorer program to fund up
9 to six college interns each summer; and
10 WHEREAS, For Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site to
11 continue, it is essential that the State of Illinois honors
12 its commitment to preserve and maintain the site, ensuring its
13 existence for future generations as a living history museum
14 and as an opportunity to learn about Abraham Lincoln's
15 transformative early years; therefore, be it
16 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL
17 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we support the
18 creation of a New Salem Preservation Commission to monitor and
19 recommend repairs and maintenance for Lincoln's New Salem
20 State Historic Site, including structures, signage, statues,
21 overall condition of the grounds, and accessibility, and to
22 make recommendations for the volunteer coordination efforts,
23 including interactions and communications with current and
24 potential volunteers, as well as guidelines for volunteer
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1 eligibility and retention; and be it further
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