On the trail of Lincoln

Friday, July 20, 2012

Today we left Effingham. IL to head into Springfield.  We were not in a big hurry so we just did whatever we wanted until we headed out around 10:00 AM.  We noticed this house yesterday.  It was just around the corner from the campground!  I wonder who in Effingham owns this place?

Our trip was a repeat of yesterday's.  We made it to the Illinois State Fairgrounds and the campground there.  It is nothing fancy but it is centrally located for all the Lincoln sites we want to visit.  We have full hookups for only $20 a night.  There are a lot of spaces in the campground but it seems people like to be close to each other.  Everyone who came in after us parked along the same wall we did.  You get to select your own site here so it seems funny that everyone is grouped together.

We had lunch at our rigs and then went to pick up my car.  Yeah!  I have all my windows now!  They told us the clips were the reason the window wasn't fitting correctly.  They replaced the clips and it works fine now.  I hope I don't get anymore surprises like that again.

After getting back to the campground we all piled into our car to go exploring.  We decided that today we would head over to Lincoln's tomb and his home. 

Lincoln's tomb is located in the Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield.  The tomb is the final resting place of Lincoln, his wife Mary, 3 of their 4 sons (the 4th is buried in Arlington Cemetery). 

Info from the Illinois Historic Preservation Society -

The 117-foot Tomb, designed by sculptor Larkin Mead, is constructed of brick sheathed with Quincy granite. The base is 72-foot square with large semi-circular projections on the north and south sides. Double sets of north and south stairs lead to a terrace, above which rises the obelisk. At the corners of the shaft, large pedestals serve as bases for four bronze sculptures, each with a group of figures representing one of the four Civil War services—infantry, artillery, cavalry, and navy. A taller base on the obelisk’s south side holds a heroic bronze statue of Lincoln. At the Tomb entrance is a bronze reproduction of Gutzon Borglum’s marble head of Lincoln, located in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Interior rooms of the Tomb are finished in a highly polished marble trimmed with bronze. The south entrance opens into a rotunda, where two corridors lead into the burial chamber. The rotunda and corridors contain reduced-scale reproductions of important Lincoln statues as well as plaques with excerpts from Lincoln’s Springfield farewell speech, the Gettysburg Address, and his Second Inaugural Address. Lincoln’s remains rest in a concrete vault ten feet below the marble floor of the burial chamber. A massive granite cenotaph marking the gravesite is flanked by the Presidential flag and flags of the states in which the Lincoln family resided. Crypts in the chamber’s south wall hold the remains of Lincoln’s wife and three of their sons.

Notice the nose on the statue in the front part of that picture?  Here is a better look  -

This is a replica of the Lincoln head Borglum made for Mount Rushmore.  People touch the nose for good luck.  That is why it is so shiny.

Each corner of the tomb holds a statue representing the armed forces that Lincoln commanded.  Inside are statues of Lincoln throughout his life -

Also inside is Lincoln's final resting place -

Across the way his family rests -

Also located in this cemetery are memorials for World War 2, Korea and Vietnam. 

After we left the cemetery we headed over to where Linclon's home is located.  This is the only house Lincoln ever owned and he bought it after he was married and his first son was born.  He lived here until he went to Washington as our President.  Lincoln was a pretty well to do man when he became President.  Many of the items in the house were owned and used by the family in this house. 

There are people who play the parts of the family in the area.  The gentleman who portrays Lincoln is very good. 

We really enjoyed our time here. 

After we finished our tour we headed back to the campground.  We were all tired.  The weather today was very nice, in the 80's.  The sky was overcast and I thought the skies would open up and pour at any moment but it never did.  Tonight was my turn to make dinner and we had pork chops with mac and cheese.  Tomorrow we will be visiting the Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library.  That is all for now.  Here are all the pictures I took.  Remember to click on them to enlarge.