Carl Sandburg, Bishop Hill State historic sites expand hours

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GALESBURG — The Carl Sandburg State Historic Site in Galesburg will expand its hours of operation to Thursday through Sunday effective June 4, and the state-operated historic buildings at Bishop Hill are now open seven days per week through Sept. 7.

Beginning June 4, Carl Sandburg State Historic Site will be open Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for free public tours. It has been open only on Saturday and Sunday since its reopening on April 25. The three-room cottage is where Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Carl Sandburg was born on Jan. 6, 1878, and his ashes are interred under Remembrance Rock behind the home. The site also includes an exhibit on Sandburg’s life and times.

The Bjorklund Hotel, Colony Church and Bishop Hill Museum at Bishop Hill State Historic Site are now open seven days per week through Sept. 7. They had been open Wednesday through Sunday since reopening April 23. The buildings are part of a nearly intact Swedish community founded in 1846. The Museum contains numerous paintings of Bishop Hill life by famous folk artist Olof Krans.

The expanded hours of operation at these sites were made possible by a supplemental appropriation bill passed by the Illinois General Assembly and signed by Gov. Pat Quinn. The legislation allowed the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency to reopen 11 historic sites that had been closed since December 2008, including Carl Sandburg and Bishop Hill, and to hire temporary, seasonal workers that are necessary to daily operations during the busier summer tourism season.