HR0131 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0131 LRB101 11056 ALS 56260 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Vandalia Historical Society is the active group supporting both the Historic Vandalia State House and the Little Brick House, both of which are listed on the National Registry of Historic Places; and

WHEREAS, The Vandalia Historical Society provides educational and cultural activities for thousands of school children and visitors annually and also sponsors a variety of fundraisers to help maintain the Historic Vandalia State House and the Little Brick House sites; and

WHEREAS, Vandalia was the second capitol city, after Kaskaskia, and home to the second, third, and fourth capitol buildings; the fourth building is the Historic Vandalia State House, which is located at Gallatin Street and is the oldest surviving Illinois State Capitol building, where notable figures, including Abraham Lincoln, served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1836 until 1839; and

WHEREAS, The Madonna of the Trail, a large statue donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution and dedicated in 1928, is located on the southwest corner of the Vandalia State House grounds and commemorates Vandalia as the official terminus of the historic National Road; and

WHEREAS, The Little Brick House, located at 621 St. Clair Street, has been preserved as an example of Italianate architecture and is furnished with period pieces, antiques, and early Vandalia artifacts from the mid 1800s; and

WHEREAS, The Little Brick House contains furniture, china, engravings, and books acquired from the families of state officers, legislators, and the Ferdinand Ernst Colony; it houses the Berry-Hall library room, which pays tribute to James William Berry, the first talented artist of Illinois, and to Judge James Hall, who established Vandalia as the first literary center west of Cincinnati; and

WHEREAS, The Vandalia Historical Society continues to research the history of the City of Vandalia and the Old State Capitol to verify and expand the knowledge of their historical significance; and

WHEREAS, The Benjamin Mills Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), which covers Bond and Fayette Counties, has been approved by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. to award the Historic Preservation Award and Medal to the Vandalia Historical Society; and

WHEREAS, This rare and very prestigious recognition will be awarded to the Vandalia Historical Society on March 9, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church in Greenville; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Vandalia Historical Society on their well-deserved recognition; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Susan Williams and the Vandalia Historical Society and to Lisa Stephens and the Benjamin Mills Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution as an expression of our esteem and respect.