Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
09/29/2025 | Press release | Archived content
History of American pies focus of Oct. 4 program at Vandalia Statehouse State Historic Site
SPRINGFIELD - The Vandalia Statehouse State Historic Site in Fayette County will host a culinary historian exploring the diverse and changing history of pies in the United States on Saturday, Oct. 4.
Catherine Lambrecht will present her program, "History of American Pies," at 2 p.m. inside the historic site. The event, which is free and open to the public, is made possible by the Old Capital Foundation and Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Lambrecht is a veteran of culinary competitions at the Lake County and Illinois State fairs; a former University of Illinois Extension volunteer whose specialties were Master Food Preserver and Master Gardner; and a founder of the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance; Chicago Foodways Roundtable; and LTHforum.com , a Chicago culinary chat site. The editor of "Family Heirloom Recipes from the Illinois State Fair," she is also program director for the Highland Park Historical Society and the Illinois Mycological Association .
A question-and-answer session will follow Lambrecht's program. Visitors will have the opportunity to share family recipes and should bring their favorites.
The Vandalia Statehouse is the oldest surviving capitol building in Illinois. It served as the state capitol from 1836 to 1839. The site, 315 W. Gallatin St., is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call the Vandalia Statehouse at 618-283-1161.
About IDNR
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is celebrating 100 years of conservation and service to the people of Illinois throughout 2025. The department was established July 1, 1925, as the Illinois Department of Conservation, bringing under one umbrella oversight of fish and game, forestry, public works, and lakes.
Today, IDNR's work encompasses management of about 400 sites across Illinois, including state parks and historic sites; wildlife, fisheries, forestry, and natural heritage; Lake Michigan water allocation and coastal management; conservation police; mines and minerals; oil and gas; issuance of licenses, permits, and numerous grants; the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta; and the Illinois State Museum. Visit https://dnr.illinois.gov for more information.
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency published this content on September 29, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 01, 2025 at 16:03 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]