 Visitors are welcome to tour the Lincoln and Sargent farms by
candlelit paths to see how Christmas may have been observed by
19th-century Americans.At the Lincoln Cabin, the family will
gather around the hearth and share the evening socializing, as was
common with many farm families after the busy harvest season, all
the while continuing to stay busy spinning wool, knitting and
performing other small tasks.
Meanwhile, at the Sargent Farm, members of the family will
celebrate the holiday with good food and simple decorations, with an
emphasis on Christmas as a family holiday. Christmas as we know it
today was not widely celebrated on the Illinois prairie. The Sargent
family will represent a growing trend in the 19th century of those
who chose to observe the holiday as a family affair. This was a
break from some earlier traditions when Christmas was a raucous
holiday that in many ways rivaled New Year's celebrations of today.
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 The trio Motherloade will perform seasonal music in the Visitor
Center during the Friday evening event.
Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, administered by the
Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency, is an 86-acre pioneer farmstead that was
the last home of Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's
father and stepmother. It is located eight miles south of
Charleston.
For more information on the Thanksgiving event, call 217-345-1845
or visit
www.lincolnlogcabin.org.
[Text from file received from
the Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency] |
