The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
For those in the vicinity of Springfield, Illinois, a worthwhile stop on your journey is the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. This museum documents the life of Abraham Lincoln, as well as the course of the Civil War. It ranks as one of the most visited presidential libraries. In addition to housing an extensive collection on Lincoln, it is also home to the collection of the Illinois State Historical Library, founded by the state in 1889. The museum is located at 212 N. Sixth Street in Springfield and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. You can follow their tweets @ALPLM
The museum contains life-size dioramas of Lincoln's boyhood home, areas of the White House, the presidential box at Ford's Theatre, and the settings of other key events in Lincoln's life, as well as pictures, artifacts and other memorabilia. The collection includes the original hand written Gettysburg Address, a signed Emancipation Proclamation, his glasses and shaving mirror, Mary Todd Lincoln's music box, and items from her White House china. The permanent exhibits are divided into two different stages of the president's life, called "Journey One: The Pre-Presidential Years", and "Journey Two: The Presidential Years", and a third, the "Treasures Gallery".
One of the museum's permanent exhibits, Campaign of 1860, includes modern-style television updates on the campaign's progress from the late "Meet the Press" anchor Tim Russert. Another of the permanent exhibits, "The Civil War in Four Minutes," displays a large animated map which displays the changing battle lines of the Civil War in four minutes.
I was fortunate to visit this site in August of 2014. Reposted behind the cut are some photographs of my visit to the Museum as well as to Lincoln's tomb.
The Amtrak station in Springfield is about a three block walk to the museum. I took my camera with me and snapped some pictures. (I later noticed in one of the pamphlets that it said there was supposed to be no picture taking of the exhibits, but nobody told me I couldn't and other people were also snapping pics with their iPhone cameras. Hopefully this isn't another case of "forgive me my trespasses").
1. On the walk over to the museum from the Amtrak station I noticed this mural on the side of a building on East Jefferson Street. I thought it was very well done.
2. Across the street from the museum is a park that contains some nice statues like this one. It also has a bench where you can sit next to a bronze sculpture of a sitting Lincoln.
3-4. Here are a couple of shots of the outside of the museum.
5-7. Inside the center of the museum are some life-size models of the Lincoln family, John Wilkes Booth, and Generals McClellan and Grant that you can have your picture taken with.
8-9. These are from a display in the museum about Lincoln's boyhood in Kentucky.
10. When Lincoln was a young lawyer in Springfield, he had a law office with William Herndon (called Lincoln and Herndon) where it is said that he let his three young sons run amok inside.
11-12. A couple of works of art showing Lincoln: a painting and a sculpture, both before he grew his beard in 1861.
13. A cartoon about Lincoln and his election in 1860.
14-16. Part of a display about Lincoln's children in the White House, including the death of his son Willie in 1862.
17. Here is Lincoln and his "team of rivals", his cabinet.
18. This is from a display about the Emancipation Proclamation.
19. Here is a pensive Lincoln as president.
20. This is a large mural in the section on the Civil War.
21-23. These photos show how Lincoln aged during the years of his Presidency.
24-25. There is an impressive section about the Lincolns at Ford's Theater on the night of his assassination.
I stayed to watch a 25 minute play entitled One Destiny about the actors at Ford's Theater and how they were affected by Lincoln's assassination. It was very good. Then I walked (about 2 miles) to Lincoln's Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery where I took these photos:
26. This is the Monument at Lincoln's Tomb. It's very impressive.
27. In front of the monument is a large bust of Lincoln's head. Its nose is very shiny because people have a strange tradition of rubbing the nose. Hey, when in Rome...
28. Inside the tomb is the resting place of the 16th President.
I would like to go back some day, and give myself more time to see many of the surrounding historic Lincoln sites. It was very moving, and by far the most popular Presidential Museum that I have ever been to.
The museum contains life-size dioramas of Lincoln's boyhood home, areas of the White House, the presidential box at Ford's Theatre, and the settings of other key events in Lincoln's life, as well as pictures, artifacts and other memorabilia. The collection includes the original hand written Gettysburg Address, a signed Emancipation Proclamation, his glasses and shaving mirror, Mary Todd Lincoln's music box, and items from her White House china. The permanent exhibits are divided into two different stages of the president's life, called "Journey One: The Pre-Presidential Years", and "Journey Two: The Presidential Years", and a third, the "Treasures Gallery".
One of the museum's permanent exhibits, Campaign of 1860, includes modern-style television updates on the campaign's progress from the late "Meet the Press" anchor Tim Russert. Another of the permanent exhibits, "The Civil War in Four Minutes," displays a large animated map which displays the changing battle lines of the Civil War in four minutes.
I was fortunate to visit this site in August of 2014. Reposted behind the cut are some photographs of my visit to the Museum as well as to Lincoln's tomb.
The Amtrak station in Springfield is about a three block walk to the museum. I took my camera with me and snapped some pictures. (I later noticed in one of the pamphlets that it said there was supposed to be no picture taking of the exhibits, but nobody told me I couldn't and other people were also snapping pics with their iPhone cameras. Hopefully this isn't another case of "forgive me my trespasses").
1. On the walk over to the museum from the Amtrak station I noticed this mural on the side of a building on East Jefferson Street. I thought it was very well done.
2. Across the street from the museum is a park that contains some nice statues like this one. It also has a bench where you can sit next to a bronze sculpture of a sitting Lincoln.
3-4. Here are a couple of shots of the outside of the museum.
5-7. Inside the center of the museum are some life-size models of the Lincoln family, John Wilkes Booth, and Generals McClellan and Grant that you can have your picture taken with.
8-9. These are from a display in the museum about Lincoln's boyhood in Kentucky.
10. When Lincoln was a young lawyer in Springfield, he had a law office with William Herndon (called Lincoln and Herndon) where it is said that he let his three young sons run amok inside.
11-12. A couple of works of art showing Lincoln: a painting and a sculpture, both before he grew his beard in 1861.
13. A cartoon about Lincoln and his election in 1860.
14-16. Part of a display about Lincoln's children in the White House, including the death of his son Willie in 1862.
17. Here is Lincoln and his "team of rivals", his cabinet.
18. This is from a display about the Emancipation Proclamation.
19. Here is a pensive Lincoln as president.
20. This is a large mural in the section on the Civil War.
21-23. These photos show how Lincoln aged during the years of his Presidency.
24-25. There is an impressive section about the Lincolns at Ford's Theater on the night of his assassination.
I stayed to watch a 25 minute play entitled One Destiny about the actors at Ford's Theater and how they were affected by Lincoln's assassination. It was very good. Then I walked (about 2 miles) to Lincoln's Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery where I took these photos:
26. This is the Monument at Lincoln's Tomb. It's very impressive.
27. In front of the monument is a large bust of Lincoln's head. Its nose is very shiny because people have a strange tradition of rubbing the nose. Hey, when in Rome...
28. Inside the tomb is the resting place of the 16th President.
I would like to go back some day, and give myself more time to see many of the surrounding historic Lincoln sites. It was very moving, and by far the most popular Presidential Museum that I have ever been to.