The Land of Lincoln
HISTORY
WELCOME TO SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS
text: DIANA LAMBDIN MEYER
photography: SPRINGFIELD CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU
Springfield offers the casual tourist and history buff alike an inside scoop into Abraham Lincoln’s
life, from the house he shared with Mary Todd to a recreation of the Old State Capitol building.
It’s one of my earliest memories of
childhood: being lifted high atop my father’s
already tall six-foot shoulders so that I could
rub the nose of Abraham Lincoln. It’s something that hundreds of thousands of visitors
to the sixteenth president’s tomb in Springfield, Illinois, have done since the bronze bust
was installed in the 1930s.
Rub Lincoln’s nose for good luck.
I had no idea my father was aiding and abetting a criminal act.
No one knows exactly how the tradition began of rubbing Mr. Lincoln’s nose. The bronze
bust was installed in the 1930s as a part of the
tomb’s renovation. It sits on a concrete pedestal about five feet tall, which places the nose
at about six feet high.
When Abe’s nose began to glow, as polished
bronze does when rubbed several hundred
times a day, the caretakers at the Illinois State
Historical Society became concerned about
the long-term impact of so much affection.
The bust is hollow on the inside, and they
feared that visitors would eventually rub a
hole in the president’s nose.
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So, sometime in the 1970s, shortly after the
nose-rubbing escapade with my father, the
Historical Society elevated the bust another
three feet so that even if most fathers stood
on their tippy toes, their children would not
be able to touch or rub the famous nose.
That didn’t sit well with area school children,
who began a letter writing campaign to return the president’s nose to a more accessible
height. Within a year, the bronze bust was returned to its original height.
Today, during the busy spring months when
busloads of school children visit Lincoln’s
Tomb, caretakers keep a step stool handy so
that children can easily reach up to rub the
great nose. My father and I sleep better these
days knowing that our nose-rubbing crime
has been vindicated.
Next, visit the Lincoln-Herndon
Law Offices and the Old State
Capitol building, just a few
blocks away. Visit on
Wednesdays in the summer,
and costumed interpreters
portray Mr. Lincoln’s law clerk
and partners.
appreciate the wisdom, honesty, and altruistic character that was Abraham Lincoln.
First, start about twenty miles north of
Springfield in New Salem, a recreated historical village from the period during Lincoln’s
twenties that he lived and worked here. Split
rails, and spin wool, and visit the store where
Lincoln was a clerk along with the post office
where he was postmaster. Lincoln was living
in New Salem when he was first elected to the
Illinois General Assembly.
Dozens of other places around Springfield
and central Illinois have documented connections to the Lincoln family, but one of
the newest is less than a block from the Lincoln Home. Obed and Isaac’s Microbrewery
is named for the great-great-grandfathers of
the current owners who were friends with
the Lincolns. They were such good friends
that the president loaned them the money to
build this house that now sells some mighty
fine brews, chili, and pizza.
Next, visit the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices and the Old State Capitol building, just a
few blocks away. Visit on Wednesdays in the
summer, and costumed interpreters portray
It’s estimated that about 600,000 people a
year visit Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield to pay their respects to the president
who lost his life in order to save the Union.
(Only Arlington National Cemetery has
more visitors.)
That’s a pretty impressive figure considering
that Springfield is located in the middle of
“fly-over” country, about ninety miles north
of Saint Louis and 200 miles south of Chicago. But it is a journey worth making, for
more reasons than the opportunity to rub
the bronze nose of the man many consider
America’s greatest president.
For families, this is one of the best history
lesson vacations that parents can offer their
children. For adults, a visit to Springfield can
reinforce that our country has seen some
dark times and serious disagreements, but we
worked through it and came out better on the
other side. We can do so again.
The lessons of Abraham Lincoln overflow in
central Illinois, but, in addition to the Lincoln Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery, there
are three don’t-miss experiences to truly
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above
The Lincoln Home is where
the future president and Mary
Todd lived for seventeen years.
diagonal right
The Old State Capitol building
features costumed
interpreters on Wednesdays
in the summer.
right
In New Salem, visitors can
split rails and spin wool in
the recreated village from
Lincoln’s era.
Mr. Lincoln’s law clerk and partners. The
Old State Capitol is a recreation, but it was
here that Lincoln gave his “House Divided”
speech, where he debated slavery with Stephen Douglas, and where he lay in state for
three days following his assassination in 1865.
Museum opened, making a trip to Springfield, Illinois, that much more spectacular.
Here, behind a glass case, visitors can see the
Gettysburg Address written in Lincoln’s hand.
His signature is also clearly visible on an original copy of the Emancipation Proclamation.
The third stop should be the Lincoln Home
where the future president and Mary Todd
lived for seventeen years, raised their children, and planned both a congressional and
presidential campaign. Mary Todd lived here
on occasion until her death in 1882, and their
son, Robert, donated the home to the State
of Illinois under the condition that it would
always be free and open to the public.
Walk beside and actually ask questions of the
sixteenth president of the United States in
one of the most innovative presentations of
history found at any presidential library. The
questions are preprogrammed from those
which the president provided answers, and
the image you walk beside is a hologram, but
nonetheless an interesting experience. Find
out that Honest Abe was a father that let his
kids get away with the worst behavior, and
listen to today’s political pundits analyze the
election of 1860.
It was not until 2004-2005 that the official
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and
Souvenirs relating to the Lincoln experience are sold just about everywhere, and of
course, sales in the state-operated gift shops
help keep the doors open to these historic
sites. But a shop with roots in the community
almost as far back as the Lincolns themselves
is a little log structure on Monument Avenue
about three blocks from the entrance to the
Oak Ridge Cemetery.
It’s simply called Lincolnland Souvenirs, and
it’s been a contributing factor to the Lincoln
experience since 1938. The King family chose
to build this log structure because of their devotion to all that Abraham Lincoln stood for.
Very little has changed in the seventy-five
years since the Kings opened shop. The pine
log display cases are filled with T-shirts and
caps, coffee mugs, and refrigerator magnets,
many with the Lincoln image or his famous
quotations. However, among the most popular items sold are small American flags representing the nation for which this president
died to keep united.
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