New Temporary Hours in Place at Vandalia Statehouse State Historic Site

The Vandalia Statehouse State Historic Site is operating under new hours temporarily due to a staffing emergency. The site will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday until further notice.

The hours were adjusted after a family emergency involving a key staff member. Since then, community members have come together to make sure the site has enough volunteers to remain open, said Site Superintendent Brad Winn.

Winn said plans are still underway for the annual Lincoln’s birthday celebration at the site in February. Please follow the Vandalia Statehouse State Historic Site on Facebook for updates and more information.

The Vandalia Statehouse, which is Illinois’ oldest existing capitol building, is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Vandalia was the state capital for 20 years, from 1819 to 1839, and the Vandalia Statehouse is the third capitol in the community, active from 1836-1839.

It was in this Statehouse that Abraham Lincoln began serving in the House of Representatives, was enrolled as a lawyer and entered his first formal opposition to slavery. It was also in the Statehouse that the city of Chicago received its charter.