SPRINGFIELD - Even though some historic sites across the state were closed to start the year, people have continued to visit Abraham Lincoln-related sites during his 200th birthday year.

State numbers show attendance at many state sites was up this year. Through September, state historic sites across Illinois had seen more than 200,000 more visitors, up to almost 1.9 million people.

"We attribute the increases to the nationwide publicity we received for the Lincoln Bicentennial," said Illinois Historic Preservation Agency spokesman David Blanchette.

Not all of that increased attendance was in Springfield.

In Bloomington, the David Davis Mansion has seen a more than 5 percent spike in attendance so far this year. About 43,000 people had visited through October.

Site manager Marcia Young said a number of events and programs around Lincoln's 200th birthday have helped draw people in. Davis was a lawyer, judge and friend of Lincoln's.

"It's just all these little, tiny things, incrementally," Young said.

The mansion also dealt with the threat of closing last year. Unlike other sites, it never did, but the threat actually drew people to the mansion who thought it might close down at some point.

"Actually, that helped," Young said.

Other sites weren't able to stay open. Lincoln Log Cabin in Lerna was closed until April of this year, but has still managed to outdraw its 2008 numbers through September. Other central Illinois Lincoln-related sites such as the Metamora and Mount Pulaski courthouses saw small increases in attendance as well.

Blagojevich closed a number of sites in 2008, citing budget concerns. Quinn reopened them in 2009, despite the lingering budget woes.

mike.riopell@lee.net|789-0865