Civil War, Lincoln and religion, Paul Simon, Chicago women among topics of Oct. 1-2 Conference on Illinois History

[September 22, 2009]  SPRINGFIELD -- Topics as diverse as the Civil War, Lincoln and religion, Paul Simon, and Chicago women await participants at the 11th annual Conference on Illinois History, scheduled for Oct. 1 and 2 at the Prairie Capital Convention Center and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in downtown Springfield.

Sessions being offered on Oct. 1 are Kankakee County History; Symbols and Memory; Immigration Patterns for Early Statehood; Local History; Everett McKinley Dirksen and the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Chicago Women; French Forts and Indian Agents; Officers and Gentlemen; Lincoln, Slavery and Emancipation; Illinois in the Civil War; Family Studies; and Presidential Athleticism.

The Oct. 1 luncheon speaker will be James Ballowe, author of "A Man of Salt and Trees: The Life of Joy Morton." Ballowe will speak about Morton's contribution to the creation and development of the Plan of Chicago. The Oct. 1 evening banquet will feature Robert Hartley, author of "Paul Simon: The Political Journey of an Illinois Original." Hartley's topic will be "What I Learned -- and Did Not Learn -- About Paul Simon's Political Journey."

Oct. 2 will feature sessions on Lincoln and Religion; Twentieth-Century Social Issues; Archaeology and Artifacts; History of the African American Studies Program at Western Illinois University; Political Careers of Donald Rumsfeld and George P. Schultz; Slavery and its Critics; Lincoln Studies; Women and African Americans in Early Illinois; Race and Labor; Lincoln, the Telegraph and Newspapers; and Twentieth-Century Chicago Reformers.

The Oct. 2 luncheon speaker will be Myron Marty, who will discuss his book "Communities of Frank Lloyd Wright: Taliesin and Beyond."

The Conference on Illinois History welcomes more than 350 people each year who appreciate opportunities to share their interest in the history of Illinois. The more than 30 sessions include scholarly papers, panel discussions and workshops. Exhibitors both days include university press publishers, new and used book dealers, and the Illinois State Archives. Teachers with a desire to bring new perspectives and teaching techniques into their classrooms can take advantage of the teacher workshops offered both days, and the conference is accredited by the Illinois State Board of Education for continuing professional development units.

The conference is sponsored by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.

Registration and fee information is available through www.presidentlincoln.org. Registrations for the banquet and luncheons must be received by Friday. On-site registration for the conference is an additional $5.

For more information on the Conference on Illinois History, call 217-558-8892 or visit www.presidentlincoln.org.

[Text from file received from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]