This article originally appeared in the pages of the Gettysburg Times, in February of 2025. It was penned by Therese Orr of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in the hopes of sharing the work the Fellowship does.

When Abraham Lincoln was about 19 years old, he made his first voyage down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers with a load of produce to sell in New Orleans. In the spring of 1831, he was hired to deliver a cargo of merchandise to New Orleans. The boat was set afloat in the Sangamon River at Springfield, IL. The trip was going well until he reached New Salem where, despite the high-water level from the spring floods, his boat got stuck on the mill dam. He managed to manhandle the bow over the dam, then constructed a machine to lift and push the boat over the dam. Lincoln would later patent the machine, although it would not bring him a fortune.

Denton Offutt, who had hired Lincoln, was impressed with Lincoln's handling of the incident and offered him a clerk position in his store in New Salem. The town had been established in 1831 and eventually grew to 23 buildings (including four general stores) and a population of 100 people.

During his six years of association with New Salem, Lincoln held a variety of jobs. For a brief period, he owned one of the general stores with William Berry, although this venture put him in such debt that he did not pay the last penny to his debtors until 1848. In late 1833 he was employed as the deputy to the County Surveyor. From 1833-1836 he served as the Postmaster for New Salem. The Postmaster job was not a confining one and Lincoln supplemented his post office income with odd jobs such as splitting rails, harvesting crops, helping at the mill, and tending store in New Salem.

While a young man in Indiana, he became interested in the law. In 1833, he purchased a book of legal forms and prepared legal documents for his friends at no charge and even argued minor cases. He then began studying the law in earnest, often travelling the 20 miles to Springfield to borrow books from John Stuart's law office. On September 9, 1836, Lincoln was granted a license to practice law. On March 1, 1837, the Illinois Supreme Court awarded him a certificate of admission to the bar. Thus began a career that would last the rest of his life.

While in New Salem, Lincoln also became interested in politics. His first attempt for a seat in the state legislature in 1832 was unsuccessful. In 1834 he was elected to the first of four terms in the Illinois legislature before deciding to set his sights on Congress.

After the state legislature adjourned on March 6, 1837, Lincoln returned to the now fading village of New Salem. On April 15, 1837, upon seeing no future there for either legal work or wider political opportunities, Lincoln mounted a borrowed horse with everything he owned in two saddlebags and moved to Springfield, the place he would call home for the next 24 years of his life.

If you visit Springfield, travel the extra twenty miles to explore New Salem. You won’t regret it.