Heritage Areas include Lincoln land

Local counties among 11 that would be designated

Thursday, October 25, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. - By a vote of 291-122, the U.S. House on Wednesday approved legislation authored by Congressman Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, which would establish the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area in Illinois.

The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area will encompass an area spanning 42 counties across central Illinois, including Knox, Warren, Henderson, McDonough and Fulton. National Heritage Areas are places designated by Congress where the natural, cultural, historic and scenic resources are considered uniquely representative of the American experience.

The legislation authorizes annual federal funding of $1 million for up to 15 years. This funding would allow for grants to be awarded to entities seeking to carry out the mission of the Heritage Area. Any funding awarded must be matched dollar-for-dollar in state, local or private funds.

The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

"The legacy of Abraham Lincoln is so interwoven with the history of Illinois - and especially the central part of our state - that it is only right that we create this Heritage Area as we are on the cusp of the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth in 2009," said LaHood. "There are dozens of sites throughout the 42 counties of this Heritage Area that have significant ties to Lincoln."

One of those sites is Knox College's Old Main, the last existing building where one of 1858's Lincoln-Douglas debates took place.

Once the bill becomes law, the first step for the Abraham Lincoln Heritage Area will be to create a management plan containing a resource inventory, goals and strategies, potential funding sources, and an interpretative and business plan. The management plan must be completed and approved by the National Park Service before matching funds are released for specific projects.

The legislation also designates the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition as the management entity for the new Heritage Area.

"As children, we are taught the basic history of our country, including the basic facts of President Lincoln's life and legacy," LaHood said on the House floor. "What the history books usually don't teach are the experiences and events that shaped President Lincoln and made him the man he became. By designating this heritage area, we can tie these many Lincoln sites together in order to create a tapestry that will allow us to better understand the influences that shaped President Lincoln's life.

"During my time in Congress, I have had the unique honor of representing all 11 counties that originally formed Abraham Lincoln's Congressional District when he served one term in the House of Representatives," LaHood said.

The 18th Congressional District, which LaHood represents, includes the eastern portion of Knox County.

LaHood, along with Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is co-chair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.