A new website that lists events from 2011 to 2015 in Illinois to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War will launch February 1.
 
        The comprehensive events calendar may be accessed starting February 1 at www.illinoiscivilwar150.org, and includes all events submitted to date.  Other events may be added over the next four years by following the instructions on the website.
 
        “Illinois supplied some of the Civil War’s greatest leaders and many of its soldiers, and people have events planned the next four years to commemorate the state’s contributions to the war,” said Illinois Historic Preservation Agency Director Jan Grimes.  “We hope this website and events calendar will serve as an official guide to all that’s going on in Illinois to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.”  
 
        In addition to the calendar of statewide Civil War related events, the website includes a time line of Illinois and the Civil War with illustrations, images and documents; downloadable PDFs of articles related to the Civil War; curriculum materials for teacher; suggestions for further reading; and a monthly feature highlighting a particular historic event or person.
 
        One of the first events listed is the February 11 re-enactment of Abraham Lincoln’s Farewell Address as he departed Springfield, Illinois for Washington, DC as president-elect.  The calendar will end with the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s internment in Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery in May 2015.
 
        The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which operates all state-owned historic sites and memorials as well as the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, developed the on-line calendar in cooperation with Save Illinois History.  The Agency’s list of Civil War-related sites includes the Presidential Library and Museum; Ulysses S. Grant Home and Elihu Washburne House in Galena; the Stephen A. Douglas Tomb in Chicago; the David Davis Mansion in Bloomington; the Old State Capitol and Lincoln Tomb in Springfield; and Metamora Courthouse.  For more information, visit www.illinois-history.gov.