This Amazing Civil War-Era Log Cabin Village Keeps Illinois History Alive, Offers Tours, And Has A Huge Annual Craft Festival
By Linze Rice|Published June 23, 2023
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Linze Rice
Author
Ope! From the rural cornfields of DeKalb County, Linze is an Illinois native and true Midwestern gal who can make a mean bonfire and whip up a perfect marshmallow salad. Since 2014, her bylines and photography have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Sun-Times, and Block Club Chicago/DNAinfo Chicago, Only in Your State, and more. She has interviewed Dolly Parton, written about beloved diners along historic Route 66, visited the last Rainforest Cafe in the Illinois, and reviewed luxurious English manor-inspired hotels. Whether it's writing about a local gem or world-renowned establishment, Linze brings a heartwarming and historical perspective to each story, using facts, wit, and personal experience to impress upon readers the importance of culture, food, travel, and all things local. Her favorite destinations in Illinois include Starved Rock State Park, Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood, the charming small town of Sycamore, and historic Rosehill Cemetery. When she's not writing or photographing, Linze enjoys gardening, spending time with her husband and pets, cooking, baking, and grilling, and relaxing with trashy TV.
As a kid, I loved the movie “Hocus Pocus,” and when I got older I learned that the opening scene — which takes place in a log cabin village — was actually the historic Pioneer Village in Salem, Massachusetts. I was amazed to learn that such important pieces of local and American history had been so well preserved and could be accessed by the public. Although visiting the Pioneer Village is still on my bucket list, along with some other cool Prairie State attractions, I recently discovered an amazing local alternative: a historic log cabin village in Kinmundy, Illinois.
Kinmundy Log Cabin Village, 6260 Gesell Road, is located in Marion County in South-Central Illinois. The historic-themed attraction is a recreated Civil War-era village containing 12 original log cabins that are decorated to resemble homes, businesses, and community spaces of the 1800s.
The village was founded by local resident Erma Ingram, who wanted to preserve some of the area's historic log cabins that were quickly being lost to time.
During the construction of Stephen A. Forbes State Park, Ingram bought her first cabins and relocated them to a 40-acre plat in a forested area of town, and in the 1960s first opened her log cabin village.
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Today, the site is a nonprofit historic site run in part by the Kinmundy Historical Society. Each cabin has a history attached, and structures were used as homes as well as a hotel, a doctor's office, a stable, and more.
The village also hosts events throughout the year, including its beloved Fall Craft Fair, which sees hundreds of visitors each year swarm the enchanted village to browse tables from local vendors.
So, would you take a step back in time to visit this log cabin village in Kinmundy, Illinois? What’s your favorite historical site or history-themed attraction in the state? Tell us in the comments! Start planning your trip by checking out the Kinmundy Log Cabin Village website and the Kinmundy Log Cabin Village Facebook page.
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