SPRINGFIELD — "Strawbridge-Shepherd House – Its Past, Present, and Future" is the subject of Lunch and Learn programs sponsored by the UIS Alumni SAGE Society on Tuesday, May 20, and Thursday, May 22, at Strawbridge-Shepherd House, 5255 Shepherd Road, on the south side of the University of Illinois at Springfield campus.
The same program will be offered on both days. Sessions will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with a box lunch included. Advance reservations are required.
Strawbridge-Shepherd House was built in 1845 by Thomas Strawbridge. After Strawbridge's death in 1880 the farmstead was acquired by Charles Shepherd, and the property remained with the Shepherd family until 1970, when it was sold to Sangamon State University. In 2007, UIS and the Elijah Iles House Foundation joined forces to save the structure, and the house has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past year.
The program will include a tour of renovations currently underway, as well as presentations by Iles Foundation representative Richard Hart, restoration expert Tom Bundy, and landscape architect Sue Massie. Hart will discuss the history of the property and the arrangements that have made the restoration possible. Bundy will explain what is being done to restore the property. Massie will outline plans for the grounds, which include using its prairie areas and wetlands as an environmental model for educational purposes.
Space at each session is limited. The cost to attend is $12 per person for reservations made by May 10 or $15 per person for reservations made after that date. Make reservations no later than May 13 by going online to www.uiaa.org/spfld or by calling the Office of UIS Alumni Relations at 217/206-7395.
