Springfield's Camp Butler National Cemetery, historical weather data, community of Greenup featured in latest issue of Historic Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - Camp Butler National Cemetery near Springfield, the recorded history of weather, and the historic Cumberland County community of Greenup are featured in the latest issue of Historic Illinois, a publication of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA).

Camp Butler is one of 125 cemeteries maintained by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Camp Butler was established as a training camp for Union Soldiers during the Civil War and soon after became a prisoner camp for thousands of Confederate soldiers. Veterans from all American wars since the Civil War are buried there, including Colonel Otis B. Duncan, the highest ranking African American officer during World War I. The article was written by IHPA publications editor Cynthia A. Fuener.

The War of 1812 prompted the first organized measurement of weather in the United States, and in 1849 the first nationwide network of weather stations was established. Volunteer weather observer stations were established in Illinois in 1856, and over the years many now-historic buildings housed some of them. Weather recording stations are still used to collect data and provide historic comparisons. For instance, since the 1840s, temperatures in Illinois peaked between 1920 and 1940, a time when severe droughts plagued the nation. The lowest annual temperatures were recorded in the 1850s. Statewide average precipitation was highest from 1860 to 1890, and precipitation lows were recorded between 1928 and 1942. The article was written by Stanley A. Changnon, a climatologist for 50 years and a semi-retired professor of geography at the University of Illinois at Urbana.

The Cumberland County community of Greenup is featured in another article written by Illinois Association of Museums Executive Director Karen Everingham. The Cumberland (National) Road, built with the intention of uniting the east coast with the Mississippi River, passed through Roseville, Illinois. William Greenup, a National Road surveyor, and Joseph Barbour established a mill near Roseville in 1832. When the village was platted in 1834, it was renamed Greenup. The National Road is today known as U.S. Route 40 and Greenup is still a thriving small community with historic commercial buildings that span the community's colorful history.

Historic Illinois is a bimonthly IHPA publication that features historically significant sites in Illinois. Subscriptions are $10 per year, which includes six issues of Historic Illinois and one full-color Historic Illinois Calendar. For more information, call (217) 524-6045, visit www.Illinois-History.gov, or write: Historic Illinois, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 1 Old State Capitol Plaza, Springfield, IL 62701-1507.