New Salem, Illinois

City: New Salem

County: Menard

State: Illinois

Lat/Long: 39.9667, -89.8167

Founded in 1829 and located on the west bank of the Sangamon River, New Salem was home to Abraham Lincoln from 1831 to 1837. New Salem was situated in Sangamon County until the creation of Menard County in 1839. With the establishment of nearby Petersburg as the county seat in 1839, New Salem declined, and had entirely ceased to exist by 1840. The present-day community of Lewisburg sits near the original site of New Salem.

Benjamin P. Thomas, Lincoln's New Salem (Springfield, IL: Abraham Lincoln Association, 1934), 6, 38, 57.