Learn about Thanksgiving as a national holiday at Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site on Nov. 28

For Immediate Release – November 6, 2025

SPRINGFIELD – Learn about Thanksgiving as a national holiday and visit with Lincoln family reenactors as they prepare a mid-19th century holiday feast at the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site – the former home of the 16th president’s parents, Thomas and Sarah Lincoln – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28.

The Goosenest Prairie Gift Shop will be open and feature many new holiday items for purchase, including locally sourced products and a great selection of items handcrafted by talented Lincoln Log Cabin Foundation volunteers.

In 1789, George Washington became the first president to issue a Thanksgiving proclamation. Thanksgiving remained predominantly a regional holiday until President Abraham Lincoln revived Washington’s earlier tradition and issued a Thanksgiving proclamation during the Civil War in 1863. Since 1864, Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November.

The Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, a gateway site for the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, was the 1840s home of Abraham Lincoln’s father and stepmother, Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln. It is eight miles south of Charleston and 14 miles southeast of Mattoon.

Thanksgiving on Goosenest Prairie is produced by the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site and the Lincoln Log Cabin Foundation. For more information about this or other events at the site, email info@lincolnlogcabin.org.