Living only 35 miles from his home in Springfield, Illinois, going to visit it was a yearly destination for my family when I was a child and, as I got older, for myself and my friends. I must have visited his home in the neighborhood of 100 times or more. The things I could tell you about how that area has changed since then. The house itself was always revered, but the surrounding neighborhood was full of gift and souvenir shops for a very long time. I remember parking right in front of the house to go in to tour it. This photo is from before my time, but it shows the disregard for the house with the Pepsi truck parked in front:
Then something wonderful happened - the National Park Service took over the house in the 1980s, bought out the entire area, and has restored other houses in the neighborhood to their original state from Lincoln's time. The streets are correct, the landscaping correct. It is now a joy to behold. Here's a picture of the home as it is now:
Nowadays I take my grandchildren and any and all visiting relatives, work vendors, friends, etc. This last weekend, however, was special.
February 12, 2009, is the 200th birthday for Abraham Lincoln and the entire state has been abuzz with events (an 1860s Ball, a showing of the play Our American Cousin which was what the Lincolns were watching when he was killed, etc.) and special showings/readings and so forth for the past six months. I knew that I would take my grandchildren over this weekend so that they could say that they were part of the festivities when they got older.
We started at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum:
What a great job they did with the Museum and Library! It only took about 20 years and continual political footballing for it to get finally constructed, but it is a wonderful place. It follows Lincoln's life from the time he was a boy to the time he was shot. It is very interactive and has something to please even the most techno of visitors. I was there the day after opening day and many times since (like I said, grandkids, visitors, etc.) and with the gallery area always having a new exhibit, I am never bored.
We then headed down the street to the Old State Capitol:
This is the place where Lincoln gave his "House Divided" speech in the Representative Hall, where he tried many cases before the Illinois Supreme Court and also where he borrowed books from the State Library. On Saturday they hosted area choirs, allowing them to sing spiritual music from Lincoln's time in Representative Hall. There were people in period dress all over, and they gave us pink lemonade and cookies as we toured.
After that we went over to the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office:
This is the only remaining building where Lincoln maintained a law office with his partner, William Herndon, from 1843 to 1852. The building has been restored and has the original Springfield post office on the ground floor.
From there we traveled out to the tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery:
Lincoln was interred in this tomb long after his death...in fact, for a few years after his death he was kept in a different vault, waiting for this tomb to be completed. His body was the object of a kidnapping plot before he was finally able to be put to rest here. The attempted kidnapping plot and the saga of his burial are the subject of a wonderful book by Thomas Craughwell entitled "Stealing Lincoln's Body".
On this day, though, it was more of a time to pay respect. I took the grandchildren into the tomb before the ceremony began so we could view his "sarcophagus" - a misnomer as he is actually buried six feet under the monument in solid concrete (again, read that book to get the details).
Going back outside, a combined choir sang The Battle Hymn of the Republic and Amazing Grace to honor Mr. Lincoln.
Although the grandchildren are only six and three, I know they got something from the experience. The three year old told me that she enjoyed visiting Mr. Lincoln and was especially pleased when I bought her a prairie bonnet earlier in the day so she could look like the lady in the period dress inside the capitol. The six year old surprised me with some very sage questions - he was really paying attention and that is what I wanted. I want them to enjoy and respect the history of the United States, and the special connection all of us feel to Mr. Lincoln as he lived so close by.
Happy 200th Birthday, Mr. Lincoln - I'm glad we got to be part of it!
No comments:
Post a Comment