Those who follow me know I love a road trip! Part of the fun and a way to break up a day of driving is to make interesting stops along the way. It is not the destination but the journey after all! After spending a night near Springfield Illinois, we were curious to see what the home of Abraham Lincoln looked like. Our curiosity took us to downtown Springfield. Here is what we found to do!
In 2020 and into 2021, the visitor center was closed. This means no indoor tours of the houses. However, we were pleasantly surprised to see that it was not just Lincoln’s home that was preserved, but a whole block. Not only could you see the homes as they were but there were boardwalk sidewalks and crushed stone streets. Along the way there were many interpretive signs with information about Lincoln’s time here. Hopefully, Covid-19 restrictions will lift soon but if you are driving through like we did, it is still worth a stop even with the visitor center closed. More information can be found at the NPS site.
Abraham and Mary Lincoln lived in this house for 17 years. They bought the home in 1844 from the reverend who performed their marriage ceremony two years earlier. It was a single story home at the time they purchased it and the Lincoln’s had just one child. They added the full second story seen today in 1856 to accommodate their growing family. We learned that the Lincoln’s had 4 sons here, but only one lived to adulthood. I reflected on the sadness the death of 3 children must have brought. I like to think that these early hardships helped to strengthen him for the difficult decisions he would make as president.
After an hour we were back on the road. We passed the Illinois State Capital building and continued on to St. Louis and the Gateway Arch. It was the perfect place to stretch our legs before the next leg of our journey.
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