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Children and young adults will be able to immerse themselves in frontier life and the world of Abraham Lincoln this summer thanks to three programs being offered by Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site.

 The Littlest Pioneer Day Camp is designed for children heading into 2nd grade. Pioneer Day Camp is a week-long program for kids 8-14. Finally, the Young Adult Interpreters Program offers the opportunity to participate more fully in programs and events all summer long.

The one-day Littlest Pioneer Day Camp is being offered on June 3, June 17, July 8. Campers will explore what it would be like to be a pioneer child moving to a new home, as Abraham Lincoln did when his family moved from Kentucky to Indiana. What did they take with them? How did they get there? What was it like settling in at their new home?

 For older children, the Pioneer Day Camp provides a week-long immersion into the lives of rural children of the 19th century. Participants get to enjoy hands-on demonstrations, crafts and games – all based on children’s work and play of the era and using authentic tools and techniques. The dates are June 6-10, June 20-24, July 11-15, July 25-29 and Aug. 1-5.  

Graduates of these day camps and other older youths can take part in the Young Adult Interpreters Program. Participants will work closely with adult volunteers and seasonal interpreters to become fully engaged in daily activities like cooking, gardening, splitting rails, mucking barns and harvesting crops. Each young adult interpreter gets to explore an aspect of 19th century life of their own choosing through an ongoing craft or activity.

 This program typically begins in early June and lasts about 10 weeks. Participants volunteer at least one day a week from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and are considered active members of the Lincoln Log Cabin Foundation’s volunteer corps.

 For additional information or to register for the programs, please download an application from our website, www.lincolnlogcabin.org, or call Cerys Boston at 345-1845.

 Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, a Gateway Site for the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, was the 1840s home of Abraham Lincoln’s father and stepmother, Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln.  It is located eight miles south of Charleston and 14 miles southwest of Mattoon, Illinois.

 The site is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. IHPA protects the state’s historic resources, which contribute to education, culture and the economy. IHPA sites include ancient burial mounds, forts and buildings erected by settlers, and homes connected to famous Illinoisans.

 Learn more about IHPA at www.IllinoisHistory.gov, on Twitter and on Facebook.