Durbin Visits Looking for Lincoln Sites
DURBIN VISITS LOOKING FOR LINCOLN SITES
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) visited Looking for Lincoln sites in Jacksonville, Pittsfield, Quincy and Beardstown today to learn more about what each community is doing to develop and promote its Lincoln landmarks.
Durbin plans to use the information to generate support among his colleagues in the Senate for legislation he, Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) have introduced to establish an Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. The legislation calls for up to $10 million over 10 years to make federal grants available for preservation, education and economic development activities across the Heritage Area.
Durbin wants Illinois communities to work together to tell the whole Lincoln story. The Looking for Lincoln project is designed to formally tie together Illinois' natural, historic, cultural and recreational resources touched by the life and influence of the nation's sixteenth President. Durbin is working closely with the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition, focusing on the places where Lincoln spent his formative years. His goal is to let each community tell its unique story, so tourists have the opportunity to visit series of historic places that, when joined together, provide a complete look at Lincoln's life in Illinois. In the end, the communities involved will benefit from job creation and new tourism revenue, as well as a renewed sense of pride about their role in Lincoln's heritage.
"Our goal is to bind the various elements of Lincoln's life spread throughout Illinois into a tangible experience of Lincoln's legacy," said Durbin. "We want to be able to tell the whole story. Families with plans to visit the Presidential Museum and Library should know that to extend their trips, or come back again, and visit several of the other historic Lincoln sites throughout the region."
"Illinois, in both its physical and cultural landscapes, shaped Abraham Lincoln's character from youth to adulthood," said Durbin. "In his farewell address at Springfield, Lincoln said, To this place and the kindness of these people I owe everything.' Just as Illinois left its mark on the character of Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln left his lasting impressions on our State's artifacts, landscapes, buildings and folklore. Establishing a Lincoln National Heritage Area will bind these scattered elements into a tangible experience of Lincoln's legacy for Illinoisans and visitors alike."
"As we have seen since the opening of the Presidential Library, Lincoln sites around Illinois have experienced an increase in visitors. That interest is only going to grow as we approach the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth in 2009," said LaHood. "Looking For Lincoln will be the program which will tie the Lincoln experience together throughout the state. I applaud Senator Durbin for his dedication to the project and I look forward to continuing our work on advancing this legislation in Washington."
The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area would encompass an area spanning 41 Central Illinois counties, including Presidential sites in Springfield as well as other notable sites including the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum in Charleston, the Macon County Log Courthouse in Decatur and the Carl Sandburg Home State Historic Site in Galesburg.
The legislation protects private property rights and would not require any private citizen or entity to be affiliated with the Lincoln Heritage Area. The bill names the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition as the management authority for the National Heritage Area, but does not grant any zoning or land use power to the Coalition.
Up to $10 million in federal grants would be available under this legislation, with no more than $1 million awarded in any single year. Any amount awarded for Lincoln National Heritage Area activities must be matched dollar-for-dollar in state, local or private funds.
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