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Ice cream and historic trees at Lincoln Tomb
Association offers ice cream social and new tour of trees at historic Oak Ridge Cemetery on May 24

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[May 22, 2014]  SPRINGFIELD – The Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site will mark Memorial Day weekend with an old-fashioned ice cream social and a brand-new presentation on historic trees.

From 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, May 24, visitors can enjoy cake and ice cream for a nominal fee – an event reminiscent of the past, when families would gather at scenic Oak Ridge Cemetery for picnics on summer Sundays.

The Springfield Municipal Band will be there, along with representatives who will describe restoration of the “original” First Street entrance to the cemetery.

The Lincoln Monument Association will also introduce a new tree tour that uses modern technology to present the history of the cemetery. Twelve historic trees have been given markers that describe the tree, provide GPS coordinates and offer a QR code that provides pictures and additional information.

Each tree will have an interpreter to relate important historic and horticultural facts.

A new website describes the trees: http://oakridgecemeterytrees.wordpress.com

They include oaks that stood when Abraham Lincoln was buried, a cottonwood that may be the biggest tree in Springfield and an example of the only magnolia native to Illinois.

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Eventually, about 250 trees will be identified on future tours.

The tree tours are a joint effort of the Lincoln Monument Association, Oak Ridge Cemetery Foundation, Illinois State Historical Society and Guy Sternberg from Starhill Forest Arboretum.

[Text received; CHRIS WILLIS, ILLINOIS HISTORIC PRESERVATION AGENCY]

 

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