On a recent Sunday my pal Mark Bennett and I made a special field trip to visit Old Concord Cemetery, one of the local historical landmarks, was the first of the early cemeteries in old Sangamon County, Illinois, the area is now within Menard County. The landscape around the cemetery is breathtaking and beautiful! It is said that Abe Lincoln’s first lover Ann Rutledge’s original grave was at Old Concord. Now we see a fairly new stone marker. On one side along with the dates of her birth and death (June 7, 1813-August 25, 1835) it reads, “Where Lincoln Wept.” Ann Rutledge’s father, James, was one of the founders of New Salem, he was also buried here. There are many markers in Lincoln-era. We wonder when more stories and history would unfold for us to learn. This is absolutely a great place to visit for people who are interested in Lincoln’s times.

It is very interesting to find that Dave Bakke wrote a very good report about Old Concord Cemetery and published by the State Journal Register ten years ago, you can read it at https://www.sj-r.com/