Vandalia Statehouse to hold Lincoln birthday celebration

VANDALIA, Ill. (AP) - A former state Capitol in southern Illinois will once again welcome visitors to celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday.

The Vandalia Statehouse State Historic Site will offer music, refreshments and presentations about the 16th president on Feb. 11. Admission is free.

The Vandalia Statehouse was the center of Illinois' government from 1836 to 1839. It was the fourth Illinois statehouse, and is the oldest surviving capitol building in the state.

Lincoln served in the Vandalia Statehouse when he was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives.

The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency officials say the Lincoln birthday celebration has been a tradition at the Vandalia Statehouse since 1973.