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!

"Let's Go Fly A Kite" Dirty Dozen Card-Making Challenge

Six months ago I wrote in THIS POST that I was given the great honor in the paper-crafting world to join the "Dirty Dozen" on Splitcoaststampers.   Splitcoaststampers is an on-line paper crafting community where crafters can learn new techniques, chit chat with each other, share their art work, and so much more.  One part of this community is "The Dirty Dozen".  This is an invitation only group of crafters whose work is seen as exemplary so they are asked to be part of the Dirty Dozen.  The requirements of the Dirty Dozen is to create six cards for six months centered around a different theme each month.  The cards then are uploaded into the "Dirty Dozen Gallery" and only fan club members are allowed to see them.  After six months, Dirty Dozen members are allowed to post them elsewhere on social media or their blogs.  Well, it has been six months since I completed my first challenge, so I can finally show me my first set of cards!

The first Dirty Dozen challenge theme was "Let's Go Fly a Kite" and here are my submissions:

Vintage Boy

To make this card, I used the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen Sketch 0424.  The stamp set is retired Crafty Secrets "Little Boy".  I stamped the images, colored them with Copic Markers, fussy cut them out, and popped them up on dimensionals.  I stamped the "Dear Little Boy" sentiment on a separate piece of card stock and cut it out with a Spellbinder's Nestability.  The other sentiment I stamped directly on to the card. I hand drew the grass with acrylic paint.  The designer kite paper is from Cosmo Cricket "Togetherness".

Wishing You Joy

To make my next card, I used retired Stampin' Up! "Kids at Play".  

The little girl and kite were stamped on separate card stock, cut out, and popped with dimensionals. I used a Spellbinder's Nestability to create the Very Vanilla frame behind her. I added a ruby red diagonal panel over the kite designer paper to emphasize the little girl more (otherwise she would have gotten lost on the card). I stamped the sentiment onto Very Vanilla and cut it out with an MFT banner die, then I cut another one out of Ruby Red to make it stand out. I adhered the sentiment with two brads. The card base is "Soft Suede". The sentiment is unknown.

Kite on Card

This card was inspired by "lovinpaper" who shared "ruby-heartedmom"'s cute kite card. I made a kite shaped card and decorated it with Cosmo Cricket designer paper. The kite portion of the card is made the same way as the Penny Black "Garden Friends" card below following the same SCS Tutorial.  I glued it to a card base also decorated with paper from the same stack. I stamped a sentiment onto white card stock and cut it out with Spellbinder's Nestabilities along with a scalloped frame cut out in Blue Bayou. The Flower die is from MFT, all cut from card stock. The butterfly die cut was made using a Spellbinder die.

Fabric & Felt Kite Card

This was a fun card to make because it brought both my love of sewing and paper-crafting together. I made a kite out of felt and cotton material. I sewed the cotton and felt triangle pieces onto a kite shaped piece of felt. I had to put the cotton material on top of another piece of felt or it would have been lower than the other two felt pieces. I cut the clouds out of white felt using an MFT cloud die. The kite tail is a piece of "fiber" purchased from a craft store. I only glued portions of the tail so other parts would stick up. I stamped the sentiment directly on the main image panel. I cut two scalloped border out of Ruby Red card stock for the side borders and the edging strips are Cosmo Cricket designer paper.

Penny Black "Garden Friends"

I made the kite shaped card following the directions on the SCS tutorial. I stamped my image, colored it, and cut it out using a Spellbinder Nestabilitie. I added a scalloped frame using Spellbinders Nesties. The flowers were cut out of card stock using an MFT die. I put a small yellow pom pom in the center. The sentiment was stamped onto white card stock then cut out with an MFT banner die. I made a kite tail with yellow twine and tied ribbon onto it.

MFT "Adorable Elephants"

I made a Diamond Fold Card following the SCS tutorial. I stamped the main image onto white card stock and colored it in then cut it out with a Spellbinder's Nestabilitie die. The kite was stamped on a separate piece of card stock, colored, cut out, and glued to the die. I stamped the sentiment onto blush card stock and glued it the main image panel. Adhesive crystals were added for embellishment. I mimicked the colors in the die by coloring just the corners of white card stock with the same colors in the kite using copic markers

I like how the shape of the card's design mimics the shape of a kite.

 I hope you enjoyed looking at my first set of Dirty Dozen cards.  I will be back next month with more.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

A Visit to the Lincoln Home!

On our way down south to spend fall break with our children and grandchildren, 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!

I've had to drive through Illinois a lot in my life and I always saw the signs about the Lincoln Historic Sites, but I never had the time to stop.  Then I was listening to a pod cast one day and the podcaster was sharing about his recent trip to Springfield and how impressed he was with all the sites.  So, my husband and I finally decided it was time to stop and see it for ourselves.  We only spent one day in Springfield, and probably could have easily spent two, but we did a lot in our one day.  Because we did so much, I will be splitting up this visit to Springfield into two or three posts.  For this week's post, I will share all about our visit to the National Park Historic Site:  The Lincoln Home.

I know it won't look like it by the pictures, but the National Historic Site is located right in downtown Springfield, Illinois.  The park is free, but you do have to pay for parking unless you're lucky enough to find free parking on the street.  You do need tickets to see the Lincoln Home, but everything else is a self-guided walk.  Tickets are unavailable on-line.  You must pick them up at the visitor center and they are given out on a first come-first serve basis.  Everyone advises to get there right when the Visitor Center opens so you can get your FREE tickets, because they do disappear fast during the busy tourist season.  

The park has a visitor center where you can see a movie which tells you all about Lincoln's life in Springfield.  The rest of the park contains Lincoln's original home in Springfield and many other older homes of people who lived in the town of Springfield at the time of Lincoln.  The map below shows the neighborhood which is considered a National Park Historic Site.  The roads are open for pedestrian traffic only.

I'm not going to go into all the history because you can just click on the photos to enlarge them and read them yourself.

This is the Lincoln Home from a corner aisle, and when I was there I read that it was the most photographed angle of the house.  They even had a selfie station set up so you could take a photo of yourself in front of the house.

The tour is a guided tour.  A park ranger takes you through the house room by room and explains the purpose of the room, points out certain items in the room, and shares stories about the personal lives of the Lincolns.

The house was modest and originally it was much smaller than the version we toured.  When the Lincoln's first purchased the home it was quite a bit smaller and they added on to the house later.

The first two photos show the front parlor.

Many items in the home were owned by the Lincolns, but not everything.  Everything however is true to the time period.

Dining Room

The next two photos show the living room, where the family would gather.

The front stair case to the upstair bedrooms.  There is also a back staircase to the kitchen.

Lincoln's Bedroom

Mary Lincoln's bedroom

The Lincoln's had four boys, and only one of the boys lived into adulthood.  😢 This could have been a guest room or one of the boy's room or all of the boy's room.

Mary did have servant help, but we learned that most of them didn't last long.  The boys apparently were very mischievous.  This could have been a servant's room or one of the boys rooms.

The kitchen.  Apparently Mary loved her stove so much she wanted to take it to Washington D.C with her, but she did not.

The back of the Lincoln home.

The outhouse, and the only reason I have it pictured is because there were three potties inside (second photo)! 😂

A living example of what Mary's vegetable garden might have looked like.  Today the produce from the garden is donated to a food pantry.

The rest of the photos will show the neighborhood.  All but three homes are closed to the public.  The three that are open are like museums with displays to read.

I found this inside one of the homes/museums.  The NPS made it seem like Abraham and Mary had quite the love story, then later that afternoon we got a different picture of their relationship from the Lincoln Presidential Museum.  Who knows what to believe?  I guess the romantic in me will accept the NPS version.😍

Some of the homes, like the one below had signs explaining who lived in the home and their importance in the Springfield community.

The neighborhood was absolutely charming with its mature tree lined streets and lanterns.  The roads  paved in brick and the sidewalks made of wood made you feel you stepped back in time.  

 This is the Charles Arnold House which is open to the public.  I didn't take any interior photos of these open homes because they were stripped bare inside and just had photos and displays like a museum.

All the homes had little signs by the doors so you could identify them on your map.

The home below is an office of Illinois State Senator Dick Durbin.

The Allen Miller House.

The home of one of Mary Lincoln's close circle of friends.

This house was also open to the public and was a modern civil rights museum.

The Lincoln Home Historic Site focus's on Lincoln's life in Springfield.  To learn more about the life of Lincoln, you must visit his Presidential Museum, which is also in Springfield.

 Sorry I forgot to get any photos of the visitor's center.  There really wasn't much inside other than a theater for the movie and a gift shop.

We really enjoyed touring Abraham Lincoln's home in Springfield and learning all about his personal life there, but the highlight of our trip to Springfield was the Presidential Museum which I will share all about next time!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!