We arrived at Springfield late in the afternoon and the hotel was fine and on the outskirts of town next to a Walmart. Not a fabulous location, but good for Duncan because there were sidewalks all over and lots of grass. It seemed like a common stop for people traveling with dogs since we met several Great Danes, German Shepherds, and other breeds of dogs as people walked them from the hotel. We decided to do a room dinner so we did take out from a local Chinese restaurant. Again, just like the hotel, the food was fine. But the room was clean and we got our rest.
We visited several great sites here the next day, including the Illinois State Capital building. It’s a domed Renaissance Revival building completed in 1888.
The thing Springfield is most famous for (at least in my mind) is our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln since this was his hometown. He owned his only home here between his childhood home and the White House and he lived here from 1844 to 1861 before he became president. At his home, our guide was a political science major who volunteered to guide us. He was talkative and very informative. A friend asked me what was on the hat stands and I said I didn’t see one, but looking through my photos later I caught a picture of the hall cloak rack. Check it out. Abraham Lincoln built this house from scratch and it started out rather small, but the guide said he made seventeen improvements to it over the time he lived there. When they moved to the White House there were four bedrooms; one for each Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln, one for the boys, and one for the hired girl. In perspective, when you see the picture of the kitchen, that is approximately the same size as the home Abe grew up in as a child. Notice all the games the boys had in their room, as well as the his and her’s chamber pots. The home did not have running water, but had, over time, several outhouses in the back yard. The house also did not have a summer kitchen so, looking at the size of the wood stove in the kitchen, I can only imagine how hot it must have gotten baking bread in August. I think my favorite pieces in the house were the writing desk in the parlor and Abe’s desk in his bedroom. What do you see that catches your eye?
After he was assassinated in office Springfield also became his last resting place and we visited his tomb as well. The people visiting his home and tomb were a wonderful mix of America, as well as some foreign tourists visiting a past United States president. And yes, his nose is shiny because guests are encouraged to rub it for good luck (there’s even a step so the youngsters can reach). There were a lot of bronze pieces in the tomb gallery, along with some of his more famous speeches. I have pictures of them all, but it seemed like overkill to add them here. I’ll forever be amazed and thankful for what he did for all people in our country in the four years he was president, 1861 to 1865.
As we were driving around we also happened upon a famous architect’s design. Frank Lloyd Wright designed a home here for a wealthy family called the Dana-Thomas House. It is a very impressive structure sitting on a huge piece of land near the city center. Unfortunately, it is closed on Sunday so we did not get to see the inside.
