If you love history, you’re going to really enjoy Springfield, Illinois. The place just drips with Abraham Lincoln lore and the Lincoln Library and Museum are tremendous. I told you about the Lincoln home in a previous post but the museum is completely different. We don’t have a lot of photos as you cannot take them inside the museum, but I can guarantee it is worth the $10 admission price if you have any interest in Lincoln at all.
The museum takes you on an interactive journey through Lincoln’s life, starting with walking through a replica of the cabin Lincoln grew up in. You progress from the cabin into Lincoln’s early adulthood as a shopkeeper and finally, his move to Springfield to open a law office. Each phase of life is depicted with life-sized dioramas – the cabin, Lincoln’s store, his law office – along with illustrations and information. After Springfield you move along through his campaign, election and finally the Lincoln family’s move to the White House. Every step is brought alive by audio, video and clever staging of items. At the end of the walk through there is a room with a more traditional museum feel which houses one of Lincoln’s stovepipe hats, a handwritten draft of the Gettysburg Address and many more artifacts of Lincoln and his family.
The Lincoln Museum, which was redesigned in the years leading up to the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth in 2009 is a very modern museum. You don’t just read plaques on the wall or index cards next to items in glass cases. In one section you watch a TV special in which news anchor Tim Russert talks about the various candidates running for office in 1860, and shows the possible campaign commercials. Nearby you also see a map depicting the Civil War in 4 minutes. And I have to say – it was the clearest picture of the Civil War I have ever had. As the seconds tick by, you see the red and blue dividing line slowly undulating across the middle of the country. You see major battles pop up and all the while you see the death toll slowly climb. I have certainly learned about the Civil War in several history classes over the years. But this was like all of them rolled into one, shrunk down into 4 minutes, and completely crystal clear to understand.
Now, some important things to know about visiting Springfield:
- We arrived pulling our travel trailer. Apparently there is bus and RV parking at the Lincoln Home, but we sure didn’t find it. We ended up parking down a few blocks in an open parking lot. It was early in the morning so there was space. But if you are arriving in your RV, I would take a few minutes to call the visitor center and find out where you can park, before you are in town. You can call the Visitor Center at (217) 391-3226.
- We visited the Lincoln Home and the Museum on a Sunday. When it came time to have lunch, we discovered that all of the many restaurants downtown, near the museum, were closed. Even the chain restaurants in that area were closed. So, if you visit on Sunday, pack a lunch, come after lunch, or make some type of plan. The only thing open was the café inside the museum.
- Wear good shoes. It’s not a long walk from the Lincoln Home over to the Museum and Library, but it’s about 6 blocks. Wear comfortable shoes, find a good (free) parking spot and pick up a map at the Lincoln Home Visitor’s Center. Then, you can just walk around the historic downtown without worrying about moving your vehicle.
