Labor Day Weekend - the last summer "fling"! We headed south to Springfield, IL to visit the Lincoln Museum and Lincoln Home. Matt remembered touring Lincoln's home when he was in school and we both toured it together in our early marriage years...however, our kids had never toured it. We loved learning more history regarding Lincoln and his time in Springfield.
While touring the museum, we saw one of Lincoln's original top hats on display. You could see that there were spots where the fabric was worn down. We read that those spots were from his pointer finger and thumb - from tipping his hat at people as walked by them. What a different world we live in today!
We came across this cement block and asked the kids if they knew what it was used for. They came up with some creative ideas. With a few hints, they finally came up with the correct answer (steps to help them up to their carriages)
We loved seeing this "Looking for Lincoln" Plaque. To our knowledge it isn't listed on our coordinates.
We drove around the city a bit - it was a holiday weekend and a Sunday, no less! It was deserted!! Here is Maddie trying to get a selfie with her camera!
We found a few letterboxes while in town as well. While Matt & Will hiked a short distance for a box, the girls & I enjoyed the scenery around us.
After breakfast the next morning, we headed to the Lincoln Museum & Library. Downtown was, again, deserted. However, we noticed that many streets were closed with construction signs or police vehicles blocking the intersection. After we found a place to park, we asked an officer if there was an event happening (Labor Day). She informed us that there was a parade starting in 15 minutes and it went right in front of the museum. We decided (since the crowds were non-existent and the day was nice) to stick around and watch the parade before heading into the museum.
Before the parade, we enjoyed Union Station and the park like setting around it.
Here's the front of the museum. The "crowd" pictured here should alert you to the lack of spectators for this parade. It was DEAD!
As the parade started, Will was concerned about not having a place to put the candy. I told him there probably wouldn't be much but they could use my purse to hold things. I guess we should've run back to the van to grab a bigger bag because the candy throwing was plenty!! We walked away with more candy from this parade than the last 3-4 parades combined (in the Quad Cities!).
We loved the kilts and bagpipes at the beginning of the parade!
After the parade, we headed back to the van so we could de-candy my purse!
Next was the Lincoln Museum. This has been on our "to visit list" for a long time (since it opened in 2005). We wanted to wait until the kids would truly enjoy and understand what they were seeing. It was a wonderful museum to visit and all 4 of the kids enjoyed their time there (as well as us adults). It wasn't extremely busy, so we didn't feel rushed to move on to the next exhibit, but to take our time and read the stories, etc.
It was neat to walk through the museum, imagining life in Lincoln's shoes. This picture that Matt captured is impressive. I doubt Lincoln ever aspired to be the president at this young of an age...but the picture shows otherwise!
My favorite room was the dress room - the gowns and their history were amazing! They were so beautiful!
Here is a picture of Mary Todd Lincoln comforting a very sick Willie Lincoln. This particular night, the Lincoln's were hosting the Presidential Ball but Willie was sick (he would die 2 weeks later). So much sadness in their lives.
The exhibit lead you through the Civil War (you can see how Lincoln aged over those years in the picture below) and the end of the War. As you turned in to the next room, you saw the Lincolns as they enjoyed a play at Ford Theater. Little did they know what was to come next - in minutes the history of America would, once again, change forever.
The final room was Lincoln's final journey home to Springfield and Lying in State at the (now old) Capital Building. Matt & I both admitted later that tears flowed freely as we walked through this room. It was hard to imagine what the nation felt during this time, but the pictures and stories shown proved that he was well liked/loved at the end of his life.
Upon leaving the museum, we headed north to make a quick drive through the cemetery and to find lunch. We then headed to Petersburg to visit the grave of Ann Rutledge (Lincoln's first love).
Matt came across this fun license plate! Our fellow Letterboxers will understand this one!
We drove from Petersburg to Peoria via Havanna. There is a beautiful area along the drive with the Illinois River reaching the road! Lots of wildlife and pull offs to enjoy the view.
We stopped at Tyroni's for dinner (much anticipated!!), only to find out that they are closed on Mondays! Talk about pure disappointment for all 6 of us!! We found something else for dinner then hit the road - getting home in time for showers and bed. Another week of school and work lay ahead!
What a wonderful time in Springfield! We feel like we've finally marked all of the Lincoln things off of our bucket list and we are all the wiser because of it! We continue to marvel in amazement at the man Lincoln became. What am amazing legacy he left for us to learn about!
