Donation offered to keep historic site open

VANDALIA -- An anonymous Vandalia-area resident has stepped forward with enough money to keep the doors of the Vandalia State House State Historic Site open through the end of the fiscal year.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich made the decision to shut the doors of many Illinois historic sites as of Nov. 30.

Vandalia Mayor Rick Gottman said Sunday the donation is guaranteed as long as the state agrees to accept the money. He says the donation of $35,477 would keep the doors open through June 30.

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency spokesman David Blanchette says the proposal is being reviewed.

Gottman says the Vandalia Statehouse and the Old State Capitol in Springfield are the only surviving structures where Abraham Lincoln served in the legislature. Vandalia was the state capital from 1819 to 1839.