PETERSBURG – Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site will host a grand opening of its new children’s play exhibit and demonstration center at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, June 3.

The exhibit can be found in the former Stone Museum shop located at the back of the historic village. The dedicated space will include activities to encourage pretend play after young visitors see 1830s period demonstrations and daily life throughout the historic village.

The exhibit includes an opportunity for children to try on 1830s period clothes, pretend cook over a fireplace, play period indoor games and build with Lincoln Logs – both life-size and normal-size. The space will be used throughout the summer for a children’s story time and to provide hands-on demonstrations and crafts for visitors of all ages.

The new play area and demonstration space initially will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at other times when staffing allows.

The Stone Museum was originally built in 1920 as a caretaker’s residence and museum. The building housed a gift shop from 1992, when the site’s visitors’ center was completed, until 2021. The new exhibit was made possible by generous donations from the site’s dedicated volunteers.

The June 3 grand opening will also kick off the site’s daily programming in conjunction with Visit Springfield’s History Comes Alive program. The full schedule, events and information can be found at visitspringfieldillinois.com.

There is no admission fee to the site, but donations are accepted and appreciated. All donations are used for repair and maintenance of the historic village. The site is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site is operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

For more information, visit lincolnsnewsalem.com, call 217-632-4000, or find the site on Facebook.