Some days turn out just a bit different than planned. Such was the case when our "bus" arrived. It turned out not to be a bus at all, but rather a party limo with a bar that wasn't stocked, and not quite enough room for the "cheeks in the seats." But our Adventure Caravan travelers know all about the "F" word --- FLEXIBLE! We headed into the city of Springfield, IL.
We visited the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, which is managed by the National Park Service. We divided into two groups for a tour of the only home that Abraham Lincoln ever owned, living there with his wife and children from 1844 until they moved to the White House in 1861. The home is in a nicely preserved historic neighborhood. Streets are closed to traffic, so it was easy to walk along the streets where Lincoln walked.
Lincoln slept here, while his wife and sons slept in an adjacent bedroom. Check out the wild wallpaper and the mix of patterns that was common for the time period. And if you've ever wondered what was under Lincoln's bed, now you know! 
In the corner of his bedroom is this small desk. We were told that it was at this desk that Lincoln worked late into the night, working on legal briefs and speeches.
After the Lincoln Home and Historic Site, we went downtown to the Illinois Capitol building where an employee from the Secretary of State's office gave us a tour. Taking 20 years to build, the current capitol is the sixth capitol in Illinois. Ground was broken in 1869. The Renaissance Revival structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. With a total height of 361 feet, the Illinois capitol is the tallest non-skyscraper capitol, even exceeding the height of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC. A city law forbids buildings to be taller than the capitol.
The interior of the capitol dome features a plaster frieze painted to resemble bronze, which illustrates scenes from Illinois history, and stained glass windows. The seal featured at the top of the dome is the seal used by Illinois prior to the civil War. Today, the words "National Union" appear above the the words "State Sovereignty" on the state seal.
Bronze statues surround the interior of the lower portion of the dome. Among them are the presidents who hale from Illinois, including Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barrack Obama.
In 2011, the capitol underwent a $50 million renovation, primarily focussed on the mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure as well as architectural improvements to bring the capitol closer to its original 1870s appearance. Layers of ceiling paint are being removed to discover paintings that have been covered. The preservation process is ongoing.
After a morning of learning about Lincoln and Illinois history, it was time to return to Route 66 with a lunch stop at Cozy Dog, home of the original corn dog on a stick. Owned by Ed Waldmire, father of Route 66 artist and preservationist, Bob Waldmire, Cozy Dog is still open for lunch and still serves those famous Cozy Dogs, french fries, onion rings, hamburgers and chili. They also served egg sandwiches and other breakfast items all day, very much as they did in 1950.
Surrounded by route 66 memorabilia, we enjoyed our 1950's diner fare!
Cozy Dog welcomes tourists, as that really was part of their original purpose. They keep the 3 ring binders that are their guest books…..and they have quite a bunch of them from years back. If you've ever visited Cozy Dog, you might just find your name in the archives!
We've seen signs such as these at all the Illinois Route 66 attractions. Each sign gives a bit of information about the businesses and attractions that have been part of the historic road.
After our lunch, we piled back in the party limo for a ride to the Lincoln burial site in Oak Ridge Cemetery. At the wishes of Lincoln's wife, his remains were returned to his hometown of Springfield. It is also the final resting place of his wife, Mary, and three of their four sons. The eldest son was buried in Arlington National cemetery at the request of his wife. The 117-foot tall Tomb is made of Quincy granite and features four bronze sculptures, each representing one of the our Civil War military services---infantry, artillery, cavalry, and navy. Within the marble interior, a period-costumed guide guards the tomb and gives a presentation to all who enter.
In front of the tomb, stands a bronze head of Lincoln, created by Butzon Borglum (who also sculpted Mount Rushmore). One cannot help but to notice the shiny bronze nose. Apparently, it is the custom of visitors to rub the nose of Lincoln for luck. Some of us might have done so, too!
Our final stop in our tour of Springfield was the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The museum documents and presents the life of our 16th president in multimedia presentations and exhibits. We spent two hours there, and still we might have stayed longer, so interesting was this presidential museum!
Photos were not permitted in much of the Lincoln Presidential Museum, but we were able to capture First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln in her inaugural gown through the open door to the Whitehouse exhibit. She made beautiful fashion statement in her day.
Many of the exhibits in the museum focussed on Lincoln's efforts for freedom for all people in these United States. His life's work included advocacy for the liberty of slaves. In a new temporary visit, we learned of his relationship with Jews, and his concern for the value of all persons.
Abraham Lincoln's Springfield, IL has been a wonderful stop on Route 66, but as the early travelers on Route 66, we were eager to move on --- St. Louis is waiting for us!
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| Since Mo, our monkey mascot, has enjoyed Springfield and the Land of Lincoln so much, Jim made sure that Mo had his very own Abraham Lincoln top hat before presenting Mo to Richard and Joyce! |
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