The capital of Illinois, Springfield, located roughly in the center of the state, is a national place of pilgrimage. Here, in Oak Ridge Cemetery, are buried Abraham Lincoln, his wife and three of his four children. Lincoln worked in the town as a lawyer from 1837 to 1861, when he was elected President. Places in Springfield associated with Lincoln - his house, lawyer's office, the Old State Capitol and New Salem, where he spent his youth (20 mi. to the north-west) are open to the public. Other features of interest are the Illinois State Museum, the Governor's Mansion (the third oldest in the United States) and the Dana Thomas House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Oak Ridge Cemetery is the the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, his wife and three of their children. The The interior of the memorial was constructed of marble and features a rotunda, and a burial room.
Hours:
March 1 to April 30: 9am-5pm; Closed: Sun, Mon
May 1 to September 6: 9am-5pm; Closed: Sun, Mon
September 7 to November 30: 9am-5pm; Closed: Sun, Mon, Sun, Mon
December 1 to February 28: 9am-4pm; Closed: Sun, Mon, Sun, Mon, Sun, Mon
The Dana-Thomas House was built in 1902 and was one of Frank Lloyd Wright's first major Prairie-style houses. It has over 250 examples of art glass doors and windows.
Lincoln Home National Historic Site is the site of the two-story home, the only home Abraham Lincoln ever owned. Abraham and Mary Lincoln lived here from 1844 until Mr. Lincoln's election to the Presidency in 1861.
Address: Lincoln Home National Historic Site, 413 South Eighth Street, Springfield, IL 62701-1905, United States
Phone: 1 (217) 492-4241, Fax: 1 (217) 492-4673
Hours:
8:30am-5pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Thanksgiving - USA (4th Thursday, November ), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
The Executive Mansion in Springfield is the home of the Illinois Governor. Visitors can tour the ballroom, several formal parlors, and the Lincoln bedroom.
The First Presbyterian Church, originally called The Sangamo Presbyterian Church, began in 1828 in the home of one of the early settlers. It contains the pew used by the Lincoln family from 1852-61.
Address: First Presbyterian Church, 321 South Seventh Street, Springfield, IL 62701, United States
Phone: 1 (217) 528-4311, Fax: 1 (217) 528-0768
Henson Robinson Zoo houses over 300 animals from 6 continents including rare and endangered species, penguins, reptiles, monkeys and otters are featured. Ninety species of native and exotic animals live in natural habitats.
Hours:
April 1 to October 31: 10am-5pm; Sun:9am-6pm; Sat:9am-6pm
November 1 to March 31: 10am-4pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Thanksgiving - USA (4th Thursday, November ), Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
The Illinois State Museum in Springfield was founded in 1877 as a natural history museum. Three floors of exhibits about art, anthropology and natural history are featured. A Place for Discovery is a hands-on children's gallery. Other displays include fine and decorative arts that cover 3 centuries of Illinois life.
Address: Illinois State Museum, 502 South Spring Street, Springfield, IL 62706-5000, United States
Phone: 1 (217) 782-7386, Fax: 1 (217) 782-1254
Hours:
8:30am-5pm; Sun:12pm-5pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Thanksgiving - USA (4th Thursday, November ), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
The Lincoln Depot, originally known as the Great Western Railroad Depot is the location where Lincoln made is farewell speech before leaving to begin his presidency. The Depot has exhibits and a video highlighting Lincoln's ride to his inauguration.
Lincoln's Tomb State Historic Site is a 117-foot tall granite tomb containing the bodies of President Lincoln, his wife Mary, and three of his four sons -- Edward, William and Thomas (Tad). The tomb was built to allow for other members of the Lincoln family to be buried there, but they chose not to use them.
Lincoln's tomb at the Lincoln's Tomb State Historic Site in Springfield.
Hours:
March 1 to April 30: 9am-5pm; Closed: Sun, Mon
May 1 to September 6: 9am-5pm; Closed: Sun, Mon
September 7 to November 30: 9am-5pm; Closed: Sun, Mon, Sun, Mon
December 1 to February 28: 9am-4pm; Closed: Sun, Mon, Sun, Mon, Sun, Mon
Disability Access: Partial facilities for persons with disabilities.
Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices is housed in a building completed in 1841. It is said to be the only surviving structure that Abraham Lincoln worked in. He practiced law on the third floor from 1843-52. The Lincoln-Herndon Law Office has been restored and is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Visitors will enjoy an educational video and then a guided tour of the historic rooms.
Hours:
May 1 to September 6: 9am-5pm
September 7 to April 30: 9am-5pm; Closed: Sun, Mon
Always closed on: Martin Luther King's Birthday - USA (3rd Monday, January ), New Year's Day (January 1), President's Day - USA (3rd Monday, February ), Thanksgiving - USA (4th Thursday, November ), Veteran's Day - USA (November 11), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
The Museum of Funeral Customs has a collection of historical items such as a 1920s embalming room, caskets and coffins, mourning clothing, and rare books on embalming that date back to the 16th century.
Antique telephones and other memorabilia are on display at the Oliver P. Parks Telephone Museum. Exhibits include wooden wall phones, candlestick models, early coin phones and a switchboard. The museum began with the collection of Oliver Parks, a longtime employee of Bell Telephone Company.
The first legislative session was held in this "new" state capitol in 1877. The growth of the state had increased the need for more file, storage, and office space than the "old" one allowed. The Illinois State Capitol in Springfield is one of the tallest buildings in central Illinois.
Interior of the dome in the State Capitol building in Springfield.
A bench in front of the State Capitol building in Springfield.
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State Capitol, Springfield
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (formerly Illinois State Historical Library), Springfield
State Capitol, Springfield
Lincoln's Tomb State Historic Site, Springfield
Old State Capitol, Springfield
Springfield
