Springfeild, IL

Springfield: is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County.
 Present-day Springfield was settled by European Americans in the late 1810s, around the time Illinois became a state. The most famous historic resident was Abraham Lincoln, who lived in Springfield from 1837 until 1861, when he went to the White House as President. Major tourist attractions include multiple sites connected with Lincoln including his presidential library and museum, his home from 1837 to 1861, his tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery, and the historical town of New Salem, within a short drive from the city.


Union Station, built in 1897 is now the President Lincoln Visitor Center, close to the Museum and Library.



Abraham Lincoln: Born in Hodgenville, Kentucky, Lincoln grew up on the western frontier in Kentucky and Indiana. Largely self-educated, he became a lawyer in Illinois, a Whig Party leader, and was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, in which he served for eight years. Elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1846, Lincoln promoted rapid modernization of the economy through banks, tariffs, and railroads. Because he had originally agreed not to run for a second term in Congress, and because his opposition to the Mexican–American War was unpopular among Illinois voters, Lincoln returned to Springfield and resumed his successful law practice. Reentering politics in 1854, he became a leader in building the new Republican Party, which had a statewide majority in Illinois. In 1858, while taking part in a series of highly publicized debates with his opponent and rival, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, Lincoln spoke out against the expansion of slavery, but lost the U.S. Senate race to Douglas.

President Lincoln's devotion to anti-slavery, Equal rights and freedom for all changed the face of our nation, he is still one of the most quotable and honorable presidents we have ever had.

 "A house divided against itself cannot stand."

"Whatever you are, be a good one"
 
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum documents the life of the 16th U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln, and the course of the American Civil War. Combining traditional scholarship with 21st-century showmanship techniques, the museum ranks as one of the most visited presidential libraries. Its library, in addition to housing an extensive collection on Lincoln, also houses the collection of the Illinois State Historical Library, founded by the state in 1889. The library and museum is located in the state capital of Springfield, Illinois, and is overseen by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, an agency of state government. It is not affiliated with the U.S. National Archives and its system of Presidential Libraries.






Lincoln Home National Historic Site preserves the Springfield, Illinois home and a historic district where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1844 to 1861, before becoming the 16th President of the United States.

In 1837, Lincoln moved to Springfield from New Salem at the start of his law career. He met his wife, Mary Todd, at her sister's home in Springfield and married there in 1842.
They met at a dance and he was taken with her, being that she was a very educated and outspoken women, Lincoln was shy and when he finally got the courage to ask her to dance, he told he, " miss Todd I want to dance with you badly", after which she told her friends, " its true, Mr. Lincoln dances, badly...
They were married a short time later.

The historic-site house, purchased by Lincoln and his wife in 1844, was the only home that Lincoln ever owned. Their children, four sons, were born there and one, Eddie died there. Located at the corner of Eighth and Jackson Streets, the house contains twelve rooms spread over two floors. During the time he lived here, Lincoln was elected to the House of Representatives in 1846, and elected President in 1860.
Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln donated the family home to the State of Illinois in 1887 under the condition that it would forever be well maintained and open to the public at no charge. This came as a result of tenants who would charge those who wanted to visit Lincoln's home and that many tenants tended to leave the home in disrepair. The home and Lincoln Tomb, also in Springfield, were designated National Historic Landmarks on December 19, 1960, and automatically listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The home and adjacent district became a National Historic Site on August 18, 1971  and is owned and administered by the National Park Service. It is one of two National Park Service properties in Illinois.

Along with the Lincoln Home, several other structures within the four-block area are also preserved. All the homes have been restored to their appearance during the time Lincoln lived in the neighborhood. Two of these structures, the Dean House and the Arnold House, are open to visitors and house exhibits on the life and times of Lincoln and his neighbors. In total, the buildings included in the park occupy 12 acres.

Before the other homes around the block were acquired several had been torn down and there were business's in there place, across form the Lincoln home sat a Piggly Wiggly, I like to think Lincoln would have gotten a kick outta this, the store was demolished and the original structure was rebuilt from archived plans.

My favorite story from this trip was Mary Todd Lincoln telling people about Mr. Lincolns terrible habit, which was finding stray cat's, bringing them home for the evening and feeding them, he remarked that they were always gone by the morning.

Neat town, interesting history which I barely touched on, a must see.
until next time be kind to one another.