State Historic Site Attendance Falls

Trips to Illinois' state-administered historic sites, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, fell 7 percent last year. That's despite commemorations of the 150th anniversaries of the end of the Civil War and the 16th president's death. Illinois Historic Preservation Agency figures show numbers fell just below 2 million at the Springfield museum and 29 other sites operated by the agency _ one-third of which have direct ties to Lincoln. Some sites have shorter hours because of state spending cuts. Key sites such as Lincoln's tomb were closed for renovations for significant periods. The museum's attendance rebounded by 5 percent, to 303,000, in 2015 after a significant drop a year earlier. It hosted 89,000 visitors in April and May during the events around the war and Lincoln's assassination.