The Lincoln Tomb and Historic Springfield

This past fall my husband and I spent one day in Springfield, Illinois learning all about one of our nations greatest presidents:  Abraham Lincoln.  While Abraham Lincoln has many ties to other states in our country, it was Springfield, Illinois where he married, raised his family, began his law practice, and ran for the President of the United States.  There is so much to see and do in Springfield, one day was not enough to cover it all.  I have previously covered the Lincoln Home and the Lincoln Presidential Museum, today's post is all about the Lincoln Tomb and Historic Springfield.

Abraham Lincoln is buried Oak Ridge Cemetery along with his wife and three sons.  His oldest son is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.  We were disappointed that the monument was under renovation when we were there (the story of our lives) so we couldn't get any great photos because scaffolding was in the way.  But, we understand the importance of preserving these national treasures.

The monument and tomb feature many important architectural symbols on the exterior.  The obelisk is an ancient Egyptian symbol for leadership.  A statue of Lincoln holding The Emancipation Proclamation in his hand stands at the base of the obelisk.  The monument also includes four bronze statues acknowledging the service of soldiers during the Civil War:  Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry, and Navy.  At the final base of the upper deck is a chain of unbroken links that lists the initials of each state in the Union.

There is a huge bust of Lincoln's head outside his tomb.  The finish on the nose has been rubbed off by visitors (which is permitted, our tour guide instructed us to rub his nose) because legend has it that rubbing his nose brings good luck.

To our surprise, you couldn't enter the tomb without a guide.  The guide begins at the bust, tells you to rub Lincoln's nose, then offers to take your photo before taking you inside the tomb.

The interior of the monument features several bronze statues of Abraham Lincoln that show guests different stages and roles of his professional life.  It is constructed of marble and contains a rotunda, a burial room, and connecting corridors. 

There are four bronze tablets on the walls engraved with Lincoln's Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, a portion of the Second Inaugural Address (pictured below), and a biographical sketch.

The tombs of Lincoln's wife and three of his sons are located across from Lincoln's tomb.

The burial room features black and white marble and a ceiling of gold leaf.  The memorial monument is a seven ton reddish marble inscribed with Lincoln's name, and the years he lived.  Lincoln's body is buried about ten feet below and thirty inches behind the monument. Nine flags are arranged in a semi circle around the monument.  Seven of the flags commemorate the homes of Lincoln and his ancestors. The eight and nine flags are U.S. flag and the Presidential flag. 

In between visiting the Lincoln Home and the Lincoln Presidential Museum we had to grab lunch.  There is a restaurant inside the museum, but we preferred grabbing a bite in the historic downtown.  On our way to lunch, we saw the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices

It is such a cool, vintage building.  I love how they left the "dry goods" advertising on the building.

The hustling and bustling historic Springfield is loaded with nice restaurants and shops.

I just loved the architecture of the historic district.

This is the old capitol building where Lincoln tried several hundred cases in and gave one of his famous speeches "A house divided against itself cannot stand." It is now a state Historic Site.   I was so bummed that it was "closed indefinitely" for repairs.  Springfield does have a new capitol building which is absolutely gorgeous and is open for free tours, but unfortunately we ran out of time and couldn't visit it. 

The Old State Capitol was built in 1837-1840 and served as the State House from 1840-1876, when it was replaced by the current State Capitol.

Pictured below is the Springfield Union Station.  It is a former train station which is now operated by the Presidential Museum and Library.  It opened in 1898 and operated until 1971.  It is registered on the National Register of Historic Places.   The New Clock Tower was constructed in 2006 to replicate the tower removed in 1946.

I hope you enjoyed my visit to the Land of Lincoln.  Next week is Thanksgiving week, so I'll be taking that week off and I will continue with my fall vacation with a meet up with my kids and grandkids in Turkey Run State Park, Indiana!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

 

Simple Fall Decor

I feel the older I get the less clutter I want and the more desire I have to keep things simple.  A few years ago, I painted almost every room in my house white, where beforehand every room was painted a different color.  I love the clean simplicity of white and how when I decorate for the seasons, any style or color goes with it.  I don't have to limit my decor to what coordinates with the paint color on my walls.

As I took the photos, I was surprised at how neutral my fall color palette was this year.  I didn't plan on it.  I used a lot of fall decor I already owned, and only purchased a few new things.  But as it came together, somehow I naturally put together a neutral fall decor design.

Let's begin my fall decor tour in the dining room.

Tiered Trays used to be all the rage a few years ago.  I think they are still "in" as you still see stores selling items for tray decor, but they aren't as "hot" as they used to be.  I still enjoy changing mine out for the seasons.

I purchased a few new things for my tray this year because they were all on clearance at Hobby Lobby...my go to store for interior decorations!  All the black and white stuff plus the church window and the fuzzy mushrooms are new this year, everything else is old.  Jackson for some reason has taken a liking to the fuzzy mushrooms.  I am constantly finding them on the floor because he jumps up on the piano, knocks them to the ground, and then bats them around for a bit.  He is so disrespectful of my new decor. 😂

I have tried various locations for my tiered tray.  I use to keep it as a centerpiece on the dining room table, but I grew tired of something falling off every time someone bumped the table.  Now it almost always stays on top of the piano along with a photo frame.

I have Dollar Store fall plates above the piano along with a black and white church photo from Hobby Lobby.

I change the photos out seasonally.  When the kids all show up for Thanksgiving, we will take Christmas photos and then I'll put those photos in the frame.

On the other side of the room is a china hutch.  I put seasonal china in the hutch.  This is my antique harvest collection.  I picked up the entire set for only $10.00 many years ago.

On top of the china hutch I have a fall decorated pumpkin, a fall bird, a fall sign and some fall plates above.

I purchased four new fall plates this year from Hobby Lobby.  I love anything with mushrooms or birds on it, and I went crazy for the neutral color palette.

On another part of the room is another china hutch (yes, I have that much china) and here I display a fall sign, a fall arrangement, and a ceramic turkey.

The turkey is also new this year.  Again, I must really be attracted to neutrals because I loved the neutral design of this turkey and its etched design.

For my lower bedroom I changed out the quilt at the end of the bed to one with more fall colors.

Have you been shopping Aldi lately?  Wow! They have such amazing, inexpensive home decor now don't they?  I found this king size comforter (including two pillow shams) at Aldi for only $35.00.  This comforter is so soft and cozy, it feels like you are snuggled up inside a cloud.  The outside is a super soft fleece and the inside is lined with satin.  My bed is only a queen, but I bought a king because I wanted the comforter to reach the floor.

My "Together" pillow is from Walmart.  The color is perfect for fall.

Here is a close up of the inside of the comforter.  I can't recommend this comforter enough.  I love it so much I went to buy another one for a different bed, and they were all sold out.  If you ever see something at Aldi you like, scoop it up fast because they sell out fast.  You can always return it if it doesn't work out.

On the other side of the bedroom is a dresser where I placed a fall arrangement.

On the opposite side of the room I placed a fall arrangement on an end table.

The only fall decor I put in the living room were the small floral arrangements you see below.  I have two of these and placed one on each end table.  The living room is very "earthy" to begin with, so it doesn't need any changing up for fall.  Now, spring, is another story!

In the entry way I have a fall swag hanging on the inside of the door.

I love how you can see my outdoor fall decor inside my house.  Check out THIS POST if you missed my outdoor fall porch decorations.

In the entry way is a slim table which I decorate for the seasons.  I don't use this table for anything other than decor so I can go big here!

In my sitting room I simply put a cute fall floral arrangement in a tin on the end table and I added a fall photo of me and one of my grandsons in the frame.

I also put a few fall touches in my upstairs bedroom and hallway, but I forgot to take photos!😐 I don't think they've changed much from previous years so can click on one of the links at the end of the post if you really want to see those. 

And before I close I have to share my new rug from Amazon.  I needed a new one because the backing on my old rug was disintegrating and constantly leaving dust on the floor from the disintegrated backing.  It was also unsafe because the backing disintegrated.  It was constantly sliding and becoming a slip hazard.  I don't need any slip hazards at my old age 😁. Anyway, I am very pleased with the rug and apparently so is Jackson because he promptly made himself at home on it.  Oh, and if you're wondering what all the clutter is on the rug, they are just heavy weights to hold the rug down while it "relaxes" and learns to lay flat after being rolled up.

Want more Fall Decor Home Ideas?  Check out these posts:

Interior Fall Decor 2015

My Fall Home Tour 2018

My Fall Tiered Tray and Other Indoor Fall Decor

A Thanksgiving Table Setting for Children Under Five

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

A Visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum

In October we drove south to spend fall break with our children and grandchildren and we made a couple of pit stops on the way.  Our first stop was the La Crosse River Marsh, our second stop was Galena, Illinois, and our last stop was the Land of Lincoln:  Springfield Illinois!  Last week I wrote about the National Park Historic Site:  The Lincoln Home.  This week I want to share about our tour of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and next week I will cover his gravesite.

The museum is located in downtown Springfield, and only 0.7 miles from the National Park Historic Site:  The Lincoln Home.  The museum is housed in the building you see below and the Presidential Library is located across the street.  This post will only cover the museum because we did not have to time to see the library.  Your admission ticket covers both the museum and the library if you have time to visit both.

The moment I walked into the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum I was blown away.  For some reason I was expecting it to just be this stuffy, boring place with just lots of stuff to read.  I had no idea it would be so entertaining!  The wax figures and displays were of a quality I'd expect to see at Disney World.  It made learning fun and I think a great place to take kids too!

The first thing we did was entered this HUGE movie theater.  I could not believe how grand it was.  And it was totally empty.  There were probably only ten people in the theater.  The movie was INCREDIBLE!  It was about the life of Lincoln of course, and included three screens with state-of-the-art special effects.  Again, it reminded me of a movie you'd expect to see at Disney World.  When canons boomed, smoke appeared in the theater.  Holograms made it seem like you were watching a live person.  It was incredible.

They also do live performances in this theater with professional, costumed actors.  On the day we were there the live performance was on Walt Whitman's poetry.  Unfortunately we didn't have time to do everything, so we skipped that one.

After the movie was over, we started at the very beginning:  Abraham's log cabin in Little Pigeon Creek, Indiana.

This is an exact replica of the cabin located in Indiana.

Abraham Lincoln had humble beginnings.  He was uneducated, but he taught himself to read at age nine.  His family of six shared a one room cabin.  The parents slept on the bed pictured on the far left, the girls slept on the mattress on the floor, and the boys shared the loft.

In 1828 Lincoln was hired to ferry a cargo down the Mississippi River to New Orleans.  It was there it is speculated where he might have witnessed the atrocities of slavery for the first time and the seeds of its misery were implanted in his mind.

In 1833 Lincoln moved to New Salem and was a storekeeper, postmaster, and surveyor.   He also studied grammar, math, joined the local debating society and unsuccessfully ran for the state legislature.  It was at this time he also began studying law. 

In 1837 Abraham Lincoln moved to Springfield, Illinois and met his future wife: Mary Ann Todd.

Abraham eventually became a lawyer.  He and Mary had four sons, and all but one son died young.  The youngest two were considered very rumbustious.  Pictured below are the two boys tearing apart Abraham's law office while Mr. Lincoln works on a case.

In 1858 Lincoln challenged Stephen A. Douglass for his seat in the United States Senate.  Lincoln lost this Senate race, but his eloquent anti-slavery speeches made him a dark horse presidential candidate in 1860.

Lincoln won the presidency with less than 40% of the popular vote.  Within months, the union began to disintegrate.

When a museum visitor enters the White House portion of the exhibit, one of the first things they see are all the beautiful dresses notable women of that time period wore.  Pictured below is a Mary Lincoln wax figure.  On the sign below her is a photograph showing her wearing the dress on the mannequin.

In addition to wax figure scenes, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum uses beautiful art work to display history.  Pictured below is a painting of when all the troubles began when states began to secede.

This next exhibit was the most surprising and troubling to me.  Pictured on these dark grey walls are actual news articles and political cartoons attacking Abraham and Mary Lincoln.  I had no idea Abraham Lincoln was so hated.  As I walked through this corridor and read all these horrible, slanderous attacks I couldn't help but see the similarities to the time period we are living in.  One could easily remove the word "Lincoln" and replace it with the word "Trump".  The words are exactly the same used by journalists today.  Are we repeating history?

More sorrow enveloped the White House during this time other than the state of the country.  Mary and Abraham's beloved son Willie died of Typhoid at the age of eleven.

Both Mary and Abraham plunged into a deep depression following the death of their son.

The White House kitchen.  I wouldn't mind this kitchen for myself today!

During the summer of 1862 Abraham Lincoln began working on the Emancipation Proclamation.

And of course, it was met with plenty of critics.  Below is pictured one of the many displays that used modern technology.  As you walk under the banners, between the columns on either side are holograms that scream out criticism of the proclamation.

The rest of this portion of the museum deals with the horrible Civil War and Abraham Lincoln's death.

This section shared uniforms of the soldier's and some personal stories.

This War Gallery display was fascinating.  You would look at a historic, authentic photo on the wall then find it on the computer monitor below.  Once you clicked on the photo in the monitor, it would tell the story behind the picture.

Having just been to Galena, Illinois I recognized General Ulysses S. Grant's photo right away so I clicked on that one on the monitor and read the story  in the box on the lower right.

More beautiful art work of a Civil War battle, the lives that were lost, and Lincoln delivering The Gettysburg Address.

The war finally ends and Lincoln is elected.  Pictured below are stories and art work of his re-election, the 2nd Amendment, his inauguration, and more.

And now for the saddest part of the museum;  a display of John Wilkes Booth entering the theatre where Mary and Abraham were enjoying a play.

Abraham and Mary Lincoln moments before his death.

The museum set up an exact replica of the Hall of Representatives in the Old Capitol Building in Springfield, Illinois where Lincoln's coffin was presented for its last public viewing. 

It was so sad to walk through this part of the museum.  I can only imagine what the original visitors must have felt.

The last part of the museum we visited was a theatrical experience called the "Ghosts of the Library".  This was just fabulous.  I had no idea it was a live actor until I talked to an employee at the Lincoln gravesite.  I thought it was a hologram, it was so good.  The theater uses Holavision special effects to explain in an entertaining fashion why we save "this old stuff".  Again, it was as good as anything you'd experience at Disney.

If you haven't been to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum I highly encourage you to go.  It truly is a delightful educational experience for all ages.

The museum is open daily from 9:00 to 5:00 and costs $15.00 for an Adult ticket.  They have senior discounts, military discounts, and student discounts and of course, children are much cheaper depending on their age.  So CHECK IT OUT!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!