The Land of Lincoln

With the knowledge that Arizona would be our destination for Season 2, Misty and I needed to determine the route we would take to get there. Since grade school, I’ve had a mind that truly enjoys geography and maps. As a result, it did not take me long to conclude the most logical direction would be a diagonal drive across the upper Mid-West through the lower Great Plains into the Southwest. I quickly realized this meant it would make a lot of sense to travel through Illinois. And then, I got excited!!

You see, for a guy who has been drawn in by history for as long as I can remember, Abraham Lincoln has stood tall (pun intended) in my mind. Whenever someone would ask me the question, “if you could sit down to talk with anyone in history, who would it be?”, President Lincoln is usually at the top of my very long list. Lincoln is somewhat of an American “hero” of mine. To me, he is one of the greatest presidents the United States has ever had, despite coming from a very humble beginning. I believe he epitomizes the idea of America being the “land of opportunity” and he conducted himself with grace and dignity within the midst of extreme national and personal difficulties.

So, our first destination would be the capitol of Illinois, the final home of Abraham Lincoln prior to being elected to the presidency. In Springfield, Illinois, Mr. Lincoln met his wife Mary Todd Lincoln. It was there, he became a father to four sons (their second son, Eddy, died in 1850, prior to Lincoln being elected president) and became involved in politics.

It was in the old Illinois capital building that he gave the famous speech in which he stated, “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. This was the speech that put him in the national spotlight, as he began his senatorial campaign against Stephen Douglas, a time in which America was socially, economically and politically divided over the practice of slavery. It was from Springfield that Lincoln would run for the presidency, winning the election that would cause several states to secede from the Union and ultimately catapult the nation into the Civil War. And it was from the train depot in Springfield, that President-Elect Lincoln would leave for Washington D.C., never to return except on a funeral train four years later. As a side note, that train passed through our hometown of Newark, NY which is also near Clifton Springs, NY where Stephen Douglas lived as a child.

So, as we reviewed our path to Arizona, I just HAD to make Springfield our first significant stop.

               Now I realize, much has been written about Abraham Lincoln over the last 160+ years, most of it by people much more educated and knowledgeable than me. I will not be attempting to follow in any of their efforts but merely wish to share our experiences as we visited “The Land of Lincoln”, and details we learned, some of which I had not been aware of before.

               I must start with the fact that we were blessed by the campground we had booked for our stay. It was Misty who located the campground; however, the historical significance of the park was unknown to us at the time I booked the site. Owned and operated by the State of Illinois, Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site contained a surprise gem for a Lincoln enthusiast such as myself. The park exists on the site of the old village of New Salem, approximately 21 miles northwest of Springfield. Within the park are mostly reconstructions of buildings that once existed before the community was moved two miles “down the hill” to modern day Petersburg, IL. The current buildings were rebuilt upon the archeologically and historically accurate foundations of the village that once existed. The Sangamon River flows past the New Salem site on its way to join the Illinois River, which connects to the Mississippi River, and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans.

This river network is significant to the life of Abraham Lincoln, and our stay in this campground gave me the opportunity to learn some facts about him I did not know. First was how Lincoln, who was born on the Kentucky frontier, and raised in Indiana before moving to Illinois, ended up in Springfield. Secondly, how the nickname “Honest Abe” was proven in the way he conducted his business.

I learned from a living history volunteer onsite (he was also our neighbor in the campground), that Abraham Lincoln arrived in this part of Illinois entirely by accident. As a young man, Lincoln had taken to working on the riverboats that navigated the Mississippi River and her tributaries (Interesting to note, it was during these travels that Lincoln visited New Orleans, and likely had a personal encounter with the realities of slavery for the first time). A riverboat he was working on had travelled up the two rivers mentioned and became stuck in the mud during a stop at New Salem’s docks.

Instead of continuing in his work as a boatman, Lincoln decided to stay in New Salem. In his twenties, Lincoln would often board in tiny, simple homes with some of the families in New Salem. It was difficult to imagine his tall, lanky form in such cramped quarters already filled by a family.  While in the area, he tried his hand at several career options including a partnership in owning a general store and postmaster. While keeping the store, Mr. Lincoln was aware sometimes mistakes were made during transactions with his customers. Since he detested the idea of cheating a customer, any time he realized he had given incorrect change, he would in fact, leave the store to track or even chase down the customer in order to correct the error. He was truly “Honest Abe” to the community of New Salem and this integrity would remain with him all his life.

Despite his time in New Salem, he aspired for something more. These ambitions led him to move the twenty-one miles to the state capitol where he began practicing law which ultimately provided the platform for becoming candidate for President of the United States. It’s simply amazing to me that a boat simply getting stuck in the mud was the catalyst for his presence there to begin with. What might have happened if river mud had not given Mr. Lincoln pause during a visit to the village of New Salem?

               Notwithstanding the unexpected discovery of Lincoln’s New Salem Historic Site, there were several destinations in Springfield we did fully intend to visit. On the list was our very first visit to a Presidential Museum and Library and it was simply great for it to be Abraham Lincoln’s. Although a little underwhelmed by the library itself (that is really all it is, a library for research), the museum is phenomenal. Don’t get me wrong, I’m honored and grateful to have visited the library, I guess we just didn’t really know what to expect. The museum, which is across the street, covers all of the time periods in Lincoln’s life in a well-designed manner, and is very technologically advanced. We also received some insights from a very kind and friendly volunteer who was a joy to speak with. I highly recommend this museum to anyone should you find your way to Springfield.

               The second site we visited is the Lincoln Home National Historic Site which is operated by the National Park Service (NPS). There are several blocks nestled in the heart of the city of Springfield, which are preserved as part of this site. The public is welcome to stroll through the neighborhood in which the Lincoln family lived and view several of the other structures. Thanks to eldest son Robert Todd Lincoln, there is no fee to tour the Lincoln home. He donated the property to the State of Illinois for the benefit of the people but under the stipulation that the public would never be charged. Illinois eventually turned the site over to the NPS who to this day, honors Robert’s request.

The tour was conducted by a very knowledgeable NPS Ranger who walks you through the rooms (upstairs and down) explaining many details of the home, the Lincoln family, and the upper-middle class lifestyle they enjoyed. This was a far cry from Abraham’s humble beginnings but not at all for his wife Mary who came from a wealthy family in Lexington, KY. We saw her childhood home last April although we did not go inside.

The Lincoln home has been restored over the years with period accuracy, however not necessarily to an exact match since much of this information was unavailable to them. The Ranger did identify in one bedroom how the wallpaper was in fact as closely matched as possible. This was because remnants of the original wallpaper were found during restoration work. It was a striking gold and eye-popping blue design. Most of the articles of furniture are verified to have belonged to the family including Abraham’s wardrobe, writing desk, bed (which does not look long enough for his 6 ft 4 in frame, but we were assured it did fit him), and dining table.

The house also contains a rather fancy indoor portable potty Mrs. Lincoln had built for nighttime use in her personal bedchamber. No basic chamber pot like the one under Mr. Lincoln’s bed for her. The house is well preserved and absolutely beautiful. We learned it was originally a one and half story “cottage style” house when the family first moved in. This was not sufficient for Mrs. Lincoln, but since Mr. Lincoln was reluctant to have a full upstairs addition built, she took matters into her own hands and obtained a quoted cost while he was away. Needless to say, Mr. Lincoln did not win that debate as skilled as he was in politics!

               Lastly, we paid a visit to Oak Ridge Cemetery which contains Abraham Lincoln’s Tomb. There is a granite obelisk constructed over the top of a beautifully designed mausoleum. The name of each state is engraved in the granite around the exterior and there are carved statues honoring the soldiers and sailors who fought in the Civil War and commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. You enter through a bronze door into a circular room with a passageway to the right which curves around to return on the left. The interior is made of stunningly beautiful marble and all throughout are bronze statues of Abraham Lincoln representing various stages of his life. In the back of the tomb a space opens up containing the burial vault ten feet below a memorial monument. The monument is ringed by flags of the three states Lincoln lived in (Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois) and the four states where his ancestors once lived (Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia). The United States flag and presidential flag are placed directly behind the monument. Engraved on the wall in back are the words reportedly uttered by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, “Now he belongs to the ages”. Turning around to face the wall across from the monument we found the crypts of Mary Todd Lincoln and three of their four sons (Thomas “Tad” Lincoln, Edward “Eddie” Lincoln, William “Willie” Lincoln). The fourth son (Robert Todd Lincoln) is buried in Arlington National Cemetery per Mrs. Lincoln’s wishes. There is a solemn yet dignified atmosphere and it is a profoundly moving experience to stand in this place.

To pay my respects to this man who carried the weight of our nation during arguably it’s most troubling period. The man who stood firm in his belief of what freedom and liberty should mean for all Americans. Who would not waiver in his desire “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Thank you, Mr. President, for your service and sacrifice to our nation.