Iles House season opening and Birthday Party event Saturday, April 27
Annual Spring Fundraiser scheduled for June 1
 

[April 24, 2019]  LINCOLN - The Elijah Iles House, Springfield's oldest surviving home, will kick off the 2019 tourism season with a special Birthday Party event on Saturday, April 27 from noon to 4 p.m., and the historic house museum will hold its annual Spring Fundraiser on Saturday, June 1.

The Iles House will host a 182nd birthday and seasonal opening starting at noon on Saturday, April 27. The event will also commemorate the City of Springfield's birthday and the 199th anniversary since Elijah Iles started the first general store in Springfield. At 1 p.m. on April 27th Dr. Michael Burlingame, the Naomi Lynn Professor of Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield, will briefly talk about the newly created Lincoln Studies Center at the university. Birthday cake, ice cream, and lemonade will be served, and the house will be open from noon to 4:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but donations are appreciated.

The Iles House Spring Fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, June 1 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The event will feature hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and live music by Tom Irwin and Theresa O'Hare. The funds raised that evening go toward the ongoing operation of the Iles House and its programs. The house receives no public money and relies entirely on donations. The base charge is $50 per person, with larger donations welcome. Please call [phone] to make a reservation for this event.

The circa 1837 Elijah Iles House at 628 South Seventh Street (corner of Cook) is the oldest surviving house in Springfield in its original form, and is open for tours on Wednesdays and Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. through October. It also hosts many evening programs and events for the public, or it may be rented for private events. The earliest wedding there was held in 1840, and it is still a magnet for receptions, graduation parties, etc. The house's historic main level is furnished as would have been typical in 1840s Springfield. The modernized lower level houses the Farrell and Ann Gay Museum of Springfield History. Because of the house's impressive architecture and rich history, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Two of Springfield's most famous citizens, Abraham Lincoln and poet Nicholas Vachel Lindsay, are known to have visited the house.

For more information about the Elijah Iles House, call [phone] or go to www.ileshouse.org for a calendar of events.

[David Blanchette]