If you're from the Chicago area, you probably remember that road trip.
This is an excellent time to reprise the family journey, with Lincoln sure to be big on history tests this school year because of the Civil War sesquicentennial. Plus, the kid-friendly Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield brings the 16th president's story together nicely for youthful consumption.Our family made that pilgrimage south with friends: Two cars containing three adults and three boys (average age of the kids: 9). The first stop after a four-hour trip was Lincoln's New Salem Historic Site, about 20 miles northwest of the capital.
With free admission and an outdoor setting, New Salem is an ideal spot for the kids to run around and decompress after a long drive. Not just mindless running, either. New Salem was a pioneer settlement where Lincoln first struck out on his own as a young man. Its rustic log buildings and stone fireplaces were faithfully re-created by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, about a century after Lincoln lived there.
It's a refreshingly low-tech look at pioneer life and Lincoln's humble start as a surveyor, postmaster and shopkeeper. Guided by docent "residents" in period dress, oxen work New Salem's gardens, where the historical information is doled out informally.
Lincoln landed there by chance when his riverboat grounded in the Sangamon River. But professionally, nothing really clicked for him business-wise in New Salem. He had once said, however, that his "concern is not whether you have failed but whether you are content with your failure." Clearly he was not. Lincoln pushed on to become a prominent lawyer, an Illinois legislator, a congressman, and, of course, president.
"You'll love the Lincoln museum," New Salem site interpreter Jane Carrington promised as she swept up behind a butter churn. "Most of it is designed with 9-year-olds in mind, and I mean that in the best possible way."
So as with Lincoln, it was on to Springfield for us.
The realistic figures of the Lincoln family standing at the White House portico have greeted millions of visitors to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum since it opened in 2005.
The $150 million museum's life-size scenes and interactive Civil War exhibits are enhanced by many historical artifacts. Among them are a hand-drafted copy of the Gettysburg Address, Mary Todd Lincoln's wedding dress and realistic Civil War soldiers clothed in period uniforms.
The tragedy of Lincoln's life also figures prominently. Mary's fan and a pair of gloves the president took to Ford's Theatre on the night of his assassination are on display. There's also a heartbreaking look into Willie Lincoln's White House bedroom. In the full-size scene, Willie's parents console the dying 11-year-old with a toy.
Just about five blocks south, at Eighth and Jackson streets, we also visited the only home Lincoln ever owned. Now run by the National Park Service, the Lincoln Home was donated to the state of Illinois by son Robert Todd Lincoln in 1887 under the conditions that it be kept tidy and free to the public. The wishes were granted, and the park service has since preserved not just the home but most of Lincoln's old neighborhood. Ranger-led tours are informative, with re-enactors portraying characters from Lincoln's day.
In the front hall of the main house, Lincoln's stovepipe hat hangs on a hook, as if Abe had just dropped in for lunch.
There are several more Lincoln-related sites in Springfield. During the wait for our tour of his home (free tickets are issued for designated times), we punched Oak Ridge Cemetery into the GPS and made a run to Lincoln's Tomb. Solemnly, visitors filed past a crypt containing Lincoln's body and others containing those of three sons and his wife. Inscribed in marble over Lincoln's grave "Now he belongs to the ages," the historically disputed quote by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton at the moment of Lincoln's passing.
Outside the tomb, I hoisted my sons up to touch his nose on a bust, said to bring good luck.
On this trip, the boys seemed to have a high tolerance for learning, so we also took them on a self-guided tour of the Illinois State Capitol, including a stop at the House gallery. Beneath ornate chandeliers, members of the General Assembly scurried about, but we didn't wait for the gavel.
We also didn't take time this trip, but another great Lincoln stop is the Old State Capitol in the town square, a reconstruction of the building where Lincoln argued cases before the state Supreme Court.
For unstructured fun later, we went swimming at our hotel, the Crowne Plaza Springfield. (We tracked down our plush lodgings on Hotwire.com and snagged the room for $74, tax included.)
With a little more time, we might have followed up on a friend's recommendation to visit the venerable Cozy Dog Drive In, which is not only a part of Route 66 lore but also the reputed birthplace of the modern corn dog. Other stops penciled in but scratched included Pizza Machine, a restaurant where giant pizzas are lowered by crane, and Knight's Action Park and Caribbean Water Adventure, a massive kid's entertainment complex.
Next time, maybe. For this weekend, the kids were happy to meet a hero.
See a gallery of photos at chicagotribune.com/lincolnsites.
If you go
Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site, 15588 History Lane, Petersburg, Ill., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Sept. 15; Wednesday through Sunday through October. 217-632-4000, lincolnsnewsalem.com
Abraham Lincoln Library and Presidential Museum, 112-212 N. Sixth St., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The same hours on weekends are for exhibit viewing only. Fees apply. 800-610-2094, alplm.org
Lincoln Home visitor center, 426 S. Seventh St., 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. In busy periods, the required free tickets may run out. 217-391-3226, nps.gov/liho/index.htm
Lincoln Tomb, 1500 Monument Ave. in Oak Ridge Cemetery. After Labor Day, hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 217-782-2717, state.il.us/hpa/hs/lincoln_tomb.htm
Old State Capitol, Springfield town square. Hours are seasonal. 217-785-9363, oldstatecapitol.org/osc.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment