Springfield Illinois

Springfield is all about Lincoln. Born February 12, 1809 in Kentucky, his family moved to Illinois when he was still young. On reaching adulthood, he established his law practice in Springfield, the state capitol, and became well known for his trial expertise. He met Mary Todd, who had a wealthy sister in Springfield, and they were married in a ceremony at that mansion November 4, 1842.

In 1844 the Lincoln’s bought a home in Springfield. The National Park Service now manages that home, as well as a half dozen homes adjacent – in essence the couple of blocks surrounding the Lincoln home – in essence the Lincoln’s neighborhood, are all here under the NPS management. We toured the home and learned a great deal more about our 16^th President and his family.

We are always struck by how just one or two family generations ago, infant mortality was not the given it is today. Abe and Mary had 4 children in total – only Robert lived to adulthood. Two of their children, Willie and Edward, died very young, and Tad died when he was 18 of heart failure. Much has been made in books and film about Mary Todd Lincoln’s mental stability, but with all the grief she witnessed during her life, it’s no wonder to us.

A short walk from the Lincoln home is the law offices of Lincoln and Herndon. During his time practicing with his law partner, William Herndon, Lincoln served 4 successive terms in the Illinois State Legislature. It was during this time that he developed his strong convictions regarding the need for union – often quoted as saying “a house divided cannot stand.” The offices are preserved in much the look as they would have been in the 1840’s and 1850’s when Lincoln and Herndon practiced there.

We visited the old state capitol building where Lincoln would have served in the state congress. The building is surprisingly still intact. It was built in 1839 and was used as the capitol until 1878 when the new capitol building – the one currently in use – was built. We visited the House of Representatives which still contains all the original desks and furnishings that had been used by Lincoln and his peers. The exact desk used by Lincoln during his terms is highlighted by having his signature stovepipe hat sitting on it.

The old state capitol building was actually the second one built in Springfield. The original was wood construction, and in 1839 the state determined they needed a capitol that would last forever, and so this impressive stone building was commissioned. However, apparently the vision was not sufficient – after less than 40 years of use, it was determined that the building was too small to serve the needs of the state, and the current state capital was built.

We arrived at the new capitol building just as a guided tour was starting, so we hopped in with the small group. Lincoln didn't live to see this new capitol building built – construction started on it after the end of the Civil War. As will many of the traditional domed capitols built during the time, the use of exotic stones and marble is impressive to see. And the artwork is outstanding as well.

Just a few more blocks walk gets you to the Lincoln Presidential Library. Managed by a foundation rather than the Park Service, it is an interesting blend of historical artifacts and entertaining educational experience. Multi-media presentations blend images to attempt to put you in the time of Lincoln along with actual artifacts, and it is really well done. Seeing one of his stovepipe hats, some of the actual White House glassware, Mary Lincoln’s cosmetic case, and many, many other personal items made our visit exciting.

The Lincoln’s left Springfield in 1860 to occupy the White House. The old train station, now called the Lincoln Depot, where Lincoln bid farewell to the citizens of Springfield for the time being has been preserved. Of course, as history would have it, Abe Lincoln would never return to his home in Springfield as he had planned. Mary could not bear the grief of returning to the home without 3 of her children and her husband, so she left the home to her son Robert, who ultimately gave it to the state of Illinois to preserve the memory of his father, with the stipulations that it would always be available to the American public to visit without charge. To this day, tours of the home carry no charge.

Our last stop was Oak Ridge Cemetery. Within Oak Ridge lies the Lincoln Tomb. Abe, Mary and their 3 children who died in their youth are entombed here. There is a stone marker in the tomb for Robert as well, but only as a memorial – Robert is actually buried in Arlington, as he served in the military, and that is where his wife wanted him buried.

There are no direct descendants of Abe and Mary any more – Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, the great grandson of Robert, died in 1985 with no heirs. While in the Lincoln Tomb, we noticed that the date of Robert’s birth on his memorial stone was in error – and it looked like someone had just tried to engrave over the error. We asked the docents about this, and they said it was one of those unsolved mysteries – they agreed that it looked like an attempt to hide a mistake, but there was no documented history of the error, and there was nobody around who had any anecdotal stories about what happened – anyway, it is now just a part of the history of the Lincoln family.

Talk to you soon!