This is continued from Springfield Part One
After a great night’s sleep in a really comfortable bed, I was ready for Springfield Part Two. My friend, Tim Karas drove down from Chicago to join me. On the agenda was tours of the Lincoln House, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, Old State House, the Train Station and the Lincoln Tomb. Tim picked me up at the hotel and we headed to breakfast at Charlie Parker’s, a popular Springfield diner. The food was great. We then headed back to my hotel so I could check out and pick up my car. We parked in the same lot that I parked in the night before.
Our first stop was the Lincoln Home. After I grabbed my National Park Passport we headed to the visitor center so I could get a cancellation stamp for the passport and we could pick up the tickets to tour the house. Once that was done, we headed back to the car to grab our camera gear then we headed across the street from the house where the tour would start. The Park Ranger gave us some background history on the house before we went inside. One thing he did tell us that we would have all the time we would need to take photos. Probably not something you want to tell photographers especially those who shoot HDR. Tim and I took MANY photos and were hurried out of the rooms a few times so the tour could proceed. We were in the backyard talking when apples kept falling off the apple tree and one almost hit me. There was a squirrel in the tree who I think was throwing them at us but I had no proof. The first photo is Lincoln’s bedroom. I stood in the doorway to Mary’s bedroom to take the photo.
Our next stop was the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. We only toured the museum, the library is across the street. As we weren’t sure if photography was allowed, it was, we left our camera equipment in our cars. It was nice not having to carry anything which I more than made up for by the time we left the gift shop. We did have our photo taken with the Lincoln Family which when I texted it to her, my friend Maureen told me that we should add a tree and use it as a my Christmas card. My favorite souvenir from the trip was bought here – an Abraham Lincoln Bobblehead.
We also toured (and took many photos) of the Old State Capitol building and the train station which had a exhibit from Steven Spielberg’s movie Lincoln starring Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Field. The right photo is the staircase at the Old State Capitol building.
Fitting end to my time in Springfield was Oak Ridge Cemetery where we saw not only monuments to the different wars but also Lincoln’s Tomb. The last photo is the cenotaph above President Lincoln’s body. Lincoln is buried in a concrete vault ten feet below the marble floor. Crypts in the chambers south wall hold the remains of his wife Mary, and three of their sons – Edward, Tad and Willie Lincoln. Their oldest son Robert was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
We stopped for dinner at Dublin Pub and then headed to Chicago for the rest of my trip.
The story of the trip continues with Chicago Day One
You can also read’s Tim’s blog of our trip here.