Springfield

Springfield, the state capital

where I went in Springfield

There's more to see in Springfield than I went to, but I mostly wanted to get a feel for the state capital.

It's on flat land but hasn't really spread out as much as I would have expected for a capital city.  Springfield has about 114,000 residents - not much bigger than Waco, TX. 

The Lincoln Home historical area is less than a mile from the Capitol area and it's easy to see how Lincoln could have walked to the courthouse and law office from his home.


Capitol Building

side view (mine)

front view (internet)

This building is the state's 6th capitol building and, given its historical value, it's likely to be the last.

It was built in 1868 and contains the executive and legislative chambers.

The dome is 408' tall.  I didn't go inside because of parking problems - I had to stop illegally to get the photo I got - but maybe another trip.



Governor's Mansion

I really just stumbled on this when I was planning my driving route.

The mansion was built in 1855 and is the 3rd-oldest continuously occupied governor's mansion in the US.  (Virginia comes in at #1, 1813; but it looks like Illinois and Texas are tied for #2 at 1855, so I don't know why Ill. says it's 3rd oldest.)

This is an internet photo and doesn't do justice to the landscaping, which is beautiful on all sides.


Vachel Lindsay's House

That would be the poet Vachel Lindsay, who I hadn't realized was from here.

This house was built in 1848 and is 7 years older than the Governor's Mansion across the street.  One of the earlier owners was Mary Lincoln's sister (Ann) and brother-in-law, so Abe and Mary visited here often.

It was bought in 1878 by Lindsay's parents, and Vachel was born the following year in this house.  He didn't live here much as an adult, traveling the country to promote his poetry.  Financial problems prompted him to move his family from Spokane (WA) back here to this house.  And here he died by suicide in 1931.

His poetry was well known in his lifetime but critics subsequently had mixed opinions about it, so he hasn't achieved the immortality of contemporaries Carl Sandburg, W.E.B. DuBois and Sara Teasdale.

It's owned now by the State of Illinois and opens for tours several days a week.  (This is an internet photo.  I passed by but couldn't stop because of the traffic.)