It was from the front yard that Mr. Lincoln greeted supporters and denounced pro-slavery demonstrations prior to his presidential election. The four corners of the main house were covered with climbing vines during the time the Lincoln family was in residence, and the windows and doors were draped in black in the fashion of the time during the mourning period.
Streets leading into the area of Lincoln's home are quiet and tree-lined, with restored homes of the 1860's on all sides. The dirt roads and old houses take us back 150 years in an instant.
The first room a guest would have entered when visiting was the drawing room, a formal room where the best furniture and decorations were on display. The Lincoln boys would not have been allowed in here for fear of breaking something!
Adjacent to the formal drawing room is the "living room" where the family spent much of their time together when home.
Through the dining room we're in the "family room", where Mr. Lincoln was often found on the floor with his sons climbing on him. After a busy day "lawyering", Mr Lincoln was most content with his family. This was his favorite room, and includes the original stereoscope used by the Lincoln family.
As was expected in the day, separate bedrooms were kept. Mr. Lincoln's bedroom has a stately bed, with his desk in the corner.
Mary Lincoln's bedroom was similar, with a large wardrobe in the corner.
The kitchen was well appointed for its day, having a new wood stove purchased by the Lincoln's just before Mr. Lincoln was elected president. Mary Lincoln didn't know how to cook or keep house before their marriage, having come from a slave owning well-to-do family. She vowed to be the best cook in Springfield, and from accounts, she succeeded. In fact she enjoyed cooking so much that she wanted to take her new stove to Washington! Mr. Lincoln dissuaded her of that, saying that surely there were stoves in Washington.
All the furnishings in the home are authentic, with the exception of the carpeting and wall covering in most of the house. Mary's bedroom does have authentic floor and wall treatments as well as original furniture. Amazing to see President Lincoln's home, purchased for $1500 including an adjacent lot for the horses and cows!
Just down the street is the Old State Capital where Mr. Lincoln served one term as an assemblyman. He had vowed to only serve one term, and kept his word.
The Assembly room, where Mr. Lincoln had made so many speeches against slavery, also was the room where he was to lie in state after the train trip from Washington. In twenty four hours, 75,000 people lined up to pay their respects, but only 25,000 were able to file through the room.
Six blocks away from the Old State Capital is the current State Capital. Built in the late 1860's and occupied in 1877, it is a magnificent example of architecture of the time. It was designed by the same architect who designed the Iowa State Capital, and a family we met on the building tour, who are from Iowa, saw a striking similarity.
The interior is done in marble, brass and gold. The dome, shown below from the ground floor, is 405' tall, taller than the capital in Washington.
The Assembly Room is beautiful, with European cut crystal chandeliers.
Before the Supreme Court moved to it's own building across the street, it met in this opulent room.
As we walked back to our car, we took one last photo of the State Capital, a beautiful tribute to the people of Illinois. Donna is checking out a statue honoring Menard County. Menard is a name that keeps popping up around here, like Yoder or Miller in Indiana, but we have yet to discover why.
I couldn't help but think about what might be going through the mind of the person who has to raise and lower the flag each day, 405' high!
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