Springfield Illinois–still lots of ground to cover. . .

We were off and running this morning in our quest

to cover “All Things Lincoln”

and yet. . .for all that effort. . .

I have very little to share with you. . .

first stop. . .Union Station. . .

hmmm. . .still confused as to it’s purpose. . .

I THINK it was supposed to be the Visitor’s Center for the Library and Museum. . .

you needed a ticket (I think). . .

but if you had already seen the museum,

you only needed a ticket for the depot. . .

or you could buy a combo ticket. . .

see. . .very confusing. . .

the Security Guard was trying to do his job,

and act as docent and tour guide

to help us poor tourists. . .

who weren’t really sure what we were in there for. . .LOL!

right now, these props and sets from the movie

“Lincoln”

are on loan and displayed in the building. . .

so, if you’ve seen the movie you may recognize some of this. . .

quite a few things in the downtown area

are within walking distance. . .so let’s do that.

next up. . .Lincoln Square. . .the location of the Law Office

Mr Lincoln shared with Mr Herndon. . .

closed for renovation. . .

they are restoring it to it’s original condition. . .
(it's the risk you take when you play tourist after Labor Day)

we had seen a replica of the office at

The Presidential Museum

so we could imagine how it will look inside, once it is restored. . .

The Law Office is directly behind the Old State Capitol

so we were able to stand in Lincoln Square

and use our imagination as to what

Lincoln may have seen as he went about his day. . .

we enjoyed reading ALL the signs in this Living Museum of Springfield

Dave had read that this plaque was also in Lincoln Square. . .

so he found it. . .we all know how that sad trip ended. . .

next up. . .the Great Western Depot (now houses a private law firm)

where Lincoln made his final speech to the people of Springfield

as he was leaving to become Inaugurated as the 16th President. . .

the Depot is open for tours. . .we did not go inside. . .

on to what is now the Amtrak Station. . .but back in the day was. . .

the Chicago and Alton Railroad Station. . .

and is where the Lincoln Funeral Train

arrived on May 2, 1865. . .

after stops in 12 other cities on it’s journey from

Washington DC to Springfield

(there’s a great video available by clicking the link)

this plaque, standing on the plaza of the train station, says.. .

At this site, countless mourners stood in solemn witness

as the Chicago & Alton Railroad Engine No. 58 arrived

pulling the funeral train carrying the remains

of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States.

Can you imagine the hushed silence, as thousands of people

stood, in mourning, just hoping for a glimpse of a coffin draped in black. . .

on May 1-3, 2015 a re-enactment will take place in Springfield. . .

2015 Lincoln Funeral Train

what an awesome historical event to be present for. . .

and our last stop for the day. . .the Lincoln Home. . .

we made it there. . .all the way in to the Visitor Center. . .

even got our tickets for the tour. . .and then. . .

we discovered. . .FOUR BUSLOADS of school age children were there. . .

ummm. . .I think we’ll come back tomorrow. . .on Saturday. . .

yeah. . .that’ll work. . .

So there you go. . .not a day to write home about. . .

but with that said. . .let me explain. . .

we enjoyed this day very much. . .

and Springfield has done a phenomenal job

of preserving the history and the spirit of the history. . .

when you are standing in that spot or that area

where history took place 150 years ago. . .

it is all very well conveyed. . .HOWEVER. . .

you need to come here and experience it firsthand. . .

stand in this place, and use your imagination. . .

allow history to come alive. . .

that is why I say. "it's nothing to write home about." ..

it's very difficult to convey, in writing, the "Spirit of the Place."

we did get to check off quite a few things on our list. ..

and felt accomplished. . .


Made it home. . .had a nice home-cooked meal that wasn’t junk food. . .

ended up basically kicking back for the evening, and doing NOTHING. . .

well. . .I cooked and cleaned. . .but you know. . .LOL. . .pretty much nothing!


next time. . .the Lincoln Home. ..for real. . .

see you there,

Janice and Dave

Lincoln–Props from the Movie Set VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

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