Senators Durbin, Duckworth introduce bill to expand boundaries of the Lincoln Home site

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, and Tammy Duckworth, D-Chicago, introduced legislation Wednesday to expand the boundary of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site to include a proposed replica of the 1844 Lincoln cottage and the Elijah Iles House, named for one of the city's earlier settlers.

Durbin, the Senate's majority whip, introduced similar legislation two years ago, but it stalled out.

Then-U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis of Taylorville and Chuy Garcia of Chicago had backed a similar bill in the House.

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The site is part of the National Park Service.

“Abraham Lincoln is a central figure in Springfield’s rich history," Durbin said. "We should preserve the Lincoln Home National Historic site to ensure that future generations can learn about his presidential legacy.  With this legislation, Illinoisans and tourists can appreciate our state’s history while visiting the Elijah Iles House and the replica Lincoln cottage.”

The Abraham Lincoln Association has secured $400,000 for the construction of the cottage and the purchase of land at 617 S. Eighth St., the site of a former parking lot.

Abraham Lincoln and his family lived in the home at Eighth and Jackson from 1844 to 1861, when they left for Washington, D.C. Lincoln was elected president in 1860.

In 1856, the Lincolns expanded the original six-room cottage into the 12-room home that is the centerpiece of the historic site. The replica cottage would show visitors what the Lincoln family's life was like for the first 12 years in Springfield.

Scott Dahl, director of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the expansion would ensure that the Iles House "will be preserved for generations. Including the Lincoln Cottage provides visitors with another Lincoln touchpoint they can only experience in Springfield."

Michael Burlingame of the ALA and the author of one of the most definitive biographies of Lincoln said the ability to move forward with the cottage project is predicated on the expansion of the site's boundary.

"We're very encouraged that perhaps a logjam has been broken," said Burlingame, who also holds the ChancellorNaomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield.

The Iles House at 628 S. Seventh St. was built in 1837 and is usually considered the oldest structure in Springfield.

Iles was one of the founders of the city and a friend and supporter of Lincoln.

Historian James Cornelius, the longtime president of the Elijah Iles Foundation, pointed out that Iles was a captain in the Black Hawk War of 1831 and his company included Lincoln, who was also elected an officer.

"They both came from hardscrabble backgrounds (in Kentucky) and they succeeded along very different paths in life," Cornelius said.

In 1977, the House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural and historic significance. The timber-framed Greek Revival cottage was restored in 2005 and has since been open to the public. The home houses an extensive collection of pre-Civil War furniture and the Farrell and Ann Gay Museum of Springfield History.

Contact Steven Spearie: (217) 622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Efforts are underway to expand the Lincoln Historic site in Springfield