Land of Lincoln, Part 1

October 16, 2010

I remember Mary saying after their trip to Prince Edward Island that it was "All Anne, all the time." Well, Illinois is pretty much the same with Abraham Lincoln. We knew we wanted to see some Lincoln sites and museums, but didn't we've been really impressed with what Illinois has done.

I wanted to put all of the Lincoln things together, so here is part one of two on the Lincoln things we experienced. We were actually here on October 9.

New Salem was the town that Lincoln moved to when he left his parents. New Salem today is a fully restored village, complete with costumed, in-character volunteers and docents. Coming after Labor Day, we saw only a few of the town citizens but it is easy to imagine the town with rails being split, gardens being tended and the everyday visiting and marketing going on.

The blacksmith (view of the inside of the shop to the left) was one of the people on-site the day we were there. While I was off looking at something and Bob was wandering around another area, the blacksmith came out to go for dinner and sat down on a bench beside Bob and they talked for a couple of hours. I joined them about halfway through their conversation and it was very interesting to hear not only about the blacksmithing that went on for real, but what he did while working there and the behind-the-scenes scoop about the village. This guy was very entertaining and we really enjoyed visiting with him.

Lincoln had many jobs here---miller and store clerk, then went into partnership to own a store, then another, went bankrupt, joined the debating society, became a surveyor (he had no training but borrowed books on the subject and learned), and was appointed postmaster, a job that allowed him to read all of the newspapers that came into the village.  He also began to read law here and helped many of his neighbors by drawing up contracts.  The photo to the left is of the first Berry-Lincoln Store.

Interestingly, the town pretty much faded from existance by 1840, as if it had been there when he needed it and then disappeared after he was gone.
Here's a neat thing Illinois has done for the Springfield area Lincoln sites. It's a free phone tour. You dial the number (1-217-213-3003). When the automated line picks up, you can then punch in one of nine numbers (followed by #), each for a different site. You then get a brief description and a bit of the history around that place. If you are interested, here are the
numbers:
1. Union Station Visitors Center
2. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
3. Illinois Old State Capitol
4. Lincoln Law Office
5. Lincoln House
6. Lincoln Depot
7. Illinois State House
8. Lincoln Tomb
9. New Salem
Remember that the automated line has to answer before you choose a site number and to enter the # after the site number.

This is marketed as a cell phone tour, but I don't know why it wouldn't work from a landline as well. It's free, but you may incur charges from your phone company depending on your plan. It is a long-distance call.