Great Lakes Trip 2019 Day 12

This is the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield.

Abraham Lincoln statue

Lincoln statue close up

The dome, as well as much of the beautiful walls and ceilings inside, were given a cleaning about 15 years ago. Otherwise, it would all be pretty dingy from 150 years of soot and grime buildup.

The trees prevented a clear shot of the entire front of the building.

Looking up at the inside of the dome.

One of the scenes that circle the bottom of the dome.

Inside the rotunda, a statue of Ulysses S. Grant, who once lived in Illinois.

Statue of Lincoln’s famous debate opponent, Stephen A. Douglas

Abraham Lincoln statue

The stairways were spectacular.

This painting is funny because it is wrong on many levels. This is entitled “Treaty with Indians, George Rogers Clark”. Clark never negotiated a treaty with the Indians although he did meet with them over several years. At the time Clark was meeting with Indians, he was in his mid-20s; in this painting he is a balding older man. The Indians in the painting are dressed and painted like Plains Indians from much further west, and they did not live in teepees; they would not have been in Illinois. Even though it has so many errors, it has been kept because it is considered a fine work of art. Oh, and it is painted directly on the wall, so the only way to remove it would be to paint over it!

A beautiful skylight.

The architecture throughout was just exquisite.

The House of Representative chamber

The chamber had several chandeliers like this one.

Ceiling skylight.

Senate chamber

Senate chamber ceiling

Another section of the Senate chamber ceiling

This room used to be the Illinois Supreme Court. It is now used for committee meetings.

Ceiling panel in the old Supreme Court room

Another ceiling panel in the old Supreme Court room

The center panel in the old Supreme Court room

The combination of all the architectural features in the capitol cannot be captured in mere pictures, even though I posted a few of them here. It is really a feast for the eyes. More than that, it has a European feel to it. That is because when it was being planned, the leaders of Illinois government were certain that Illinois would be a significant international commerce hub, so they wanted the Europeans to understand they were dealing with sophisticated people.

The home Abraham Lincoln lived in. He bought a single-story house for he and his wife Mary to live in and raise their children. A few years later, they added a second floor, which seemed to duplicate her father’s house in Kentucky, the one she grew up in. She was very well-off, and her engagement to the hardscrabble, lower-class Lincoln caused problems within her family.

The parlor, where the Lincolns entertained guests. After Lincoln was elected president in 1860, they had photos taken of each room in the house, so these rooms are arranged just like the Lincolns had. Many of the items in the house actually belonged to the Lincolns.

This was the Lincolns’ horsehair sofa.

Dining room

These window treatments were the Lincolns.

Mary Lincoln’s White Cake recipe was all the rage.

This is the family room, where the Lincolns relaxed.

Also in the family room.

Lincoln’s desk.

Abraham Lincoln’s bed.

In the adjoining room, Mary Lincoln’s bed. Notice the fancy wallpaper is the same in both rooms.

A typical kitchen

The rear of the house, just like when the Lincolns lived here.

The three-hole outhouse.

Statue of Lincoln in Union Square Park

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
President Lincoln was our 16th president.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. I knew Lincoln was tall, but…
This 31 foot tall sculpture is entitled “Return Visit”. The original life-size version is located in Gettysburg. The sculpture shows Lincoln presenting the “contemporary common man” with the Gettysburg address. The artist is J. Seward Johnson.

There are many scenes demonstrating Lincoln’s whole life. Here he is outside the log cabin he grew up in.

Reading by the fire.

Working in a dry goods store

Courting Mary Todd

Lincoln-Douglas debate

Studying in his law office while his children play

The late Tim Russert did a mockup of the election of 1860, as it could have been if we had TV back then. He did a profile of all four candidates. It was pretty cool.

Lincoln campaigning from the back of a train

The Lincoln White House

We posed with the First Family. So Lincoln really was 6’4′!
In addition to the President and First Lady, there were children, Todd who was 17 when the Lincolns moved into the White House, Willie, who was 10, and Tad, who was 7.

Close up

First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, surrounded by replica outfits worn by several of her social rivals in Washington DC.

Close up

Son Willie died of Typhoid fever in the White House in 1862 when he was 11. This scene shows Mary at Willie’s bedside while the president walks into the room.

Mary mourning the loss of Willie

Lincoln discussing the Emancipation Proclamation with his cabinet.

The Emancipation Proclamation was not universally popular – in the North! Technically, the proclamation freed the slaves only in the South.

Lincoln contemplating the proclamation

As you would expect, there are many displays centering on the Civil War.
This video was four minutes long, and it ran a casualty count on the bottom right as the Civil War progressed. The many battles would be displayed as their place on the timeline arrived. Here is the casualty count as of the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862.

Chancellorsville, May 1863

The Wilderness, May 1864

Spotsylvania, May 1864

John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater

The Lincoln’s box

President Lincoln lying in state at the Old Illinois State Capitol Hall of Representatives

This cast was made by Gutzon Borglum, who created Mount Rushmore. This bust was done in preparation for the marble version that was completed in 1908 and is now on display in the Rotunda of the US Capitol.

This was Lincoln’s shaving mirror.

Progression of Lincoln’s face from election to shortly before his assassination.

One block from the Museum is the location of Lincoln & Herndon law office. It is not open to the public.

Outside the law office is a sculpture of the Lincoln family. Little Willie is waving to Todd as e is apparently going off to school.

This is where President Abraham Lincoln is buried. He is buried underground. The inside at ground level contains several busts and statues of Lincoln, but it was closed on this day. That was a disappointment.