By Don Steen
Pleasant fall weather drew a sizable crowd to this year’s Heritage Day at the Lincoln Pioneer Village and Museum. Most every corner of the village was alive with a costumed actor or vendor with something to share about pioneer life in Spencer County, and Abe Lincoln himself made an appearance in the form of local actor Dean Dorrell. Heritage Day marks the end of the official operating season, but volunteers will still be hard at work refurbishing cabins, with reshingling and roofing work planned for two of the replicas in the near future. Would-be visitors should also be on the lookout for special holiday events at the village in the coming season.
Diane Unfried of the Friends of Lincoln Pioneer Village group offered a few words at a dedication ceremony for the newly rebuilt entrance cabin at the village. She pointed to the signficant progress made since widescale refurbishment efforts began in 2010.
“It’s so much different than 10 years ago,” she said. “No leaks!”
After adding to the village with the new block fort and several completely revitalized cabins in recent years, Unfried expressed hope the village will soon transition into a “maintenance phase.” Her confidence is driven by the many lessons learned over the last decade, with each cabin project instilling more and more pioneer building knowledge. Unfried said this should help volunteers keep the cabins in shape over the long term.
While not as high profile as the nearby Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial and Lincoln State Park, Unfried said the pioneer village is a special place with the potential to be a true asset to Rockport and the county. She thanked city officials and other local leaders for their support over the years, including Mayor Don Winkler who was in attendance. Unfried noted the City of Rockport has to compete with the state an federal government when it comes to budgeting for the parks in the north of the county, but believed the pioneer village and its supporters have much to be proud of.
She reported nearly 1,900 people had visited this year, and over the life of the village visitors have ranged from every state in the union and several far-off countries as well.
“Everybody knows Abe Lincoln no matter where you are,” said Unfried.
She closed by extending an offer to all local residents and history enthusiasts to join in the effort to preserve this area’s local Lincoln heritage.
“We need your help,” said Unfried. “Let’s work together to keep the village alive and thriving.”
One such volunteer, Teresa Schroeder, had her own contribution to the village on prominent display in the form of a new mural on the wall of the museum. The artwork depicts 19th Century Rockport’s riverfront, when steam boats would often make stops here. The mural was inspired by an old post card depicting one such scene. The project took Schroeder from the first of June to the end of last month, but the end product was well appreciated and, for Schroeder, fulfilling.
“It was just something I wanted to do,” she said.
