The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Illinois. It is tasked with the duty of maintaining most State-owned historic sites within Illinois, and maximizing their educational and recreational value to visitors.
During the 20th century, the state of Illinois acquired and restored a wide variety of historic properties throughout the state. One key asset, the village of Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site at New Salem (Menard County), Illinois, was reconstructed in the 1930s.
The IHPA continued to grow after its creation in 1985, largely because of continued public interest in Lincoln as the bicentennial of his birth approached in 2009. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, also in Springfield, Illinois, was dedicated in 2005. Unlike most presidential libraries, the Lincoln Library is state-owned.
List of sites
The following is an alphabetical listing of the more than 50 Illinois State Historic Sites that are under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency:
In addition to those above owned and operated by Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, other historic sites operated by other Illinois state agencies include:
Dickson Mounds, operated by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
