Upper Midwest Tour, Day 26, Aug 4

Today, we drove from one State capital city to the neighboring State capital city (Indianapolis, IN to Springfield, IL).  Not much to say about the views from the interstate highways - mostly flat, mostly corn and soy bean fields.  We arrived by early afternoon and went immediately for a 20-minute guided tour of the Capital building.  Construction started in 1868 and it took 20 years to complete the building.  It has been well-preserved and is currently undergoing major renovations on the north end.

P.S. from yesterday -- this is where we stayed in Indianapolis - Ft. Harrison State Park Inn.

Springfield is Lincoln's City, moving here, becoming a lawyer, practicing law for a couple of decades,  courting and marrying Mary Todd, winning a few terms as a state legislator, and losing several times for the State Senate.

The Capital dome.

The House Chamber.

Frieze around the dome - Lincoln debating Douglas.

A. Lincoln, looking at Stephen Douglas

Stephen Douglas

Original Supreme Court wall paper.

Door handle displaying the state seal.

Then we walked toward the location for the start box for the Capital Volkswalk.  Before arriving there, we dropped into the Lincoln Presidential Library.  It was a great stop and, unlike the modern Presidential libraries,  more of a museum chronicling Abe's life.  The displays were quite good, imaginative, and emotionally moving.  Somewhere there was a statement that more has been written about A. Lincoln than any other person in history, except for Jesus.  Our visit ended with an excellent 17-minute multi-media presentation called "In Lincoln's Eyes" in which an hologrammed artist describes the life story that he could read in Lincoln's face, accompanied by images of the events that made up that life.   

A curious bronze statue on the sidewalk in front of a bank building ----

A little dog with a bone -- no explanation evident.

The old Union Station.

The ever present Lincoln.

Lincoln's life - key dates matched by where he was living.

Continued.

His history of elected offices, up to the Presidency.

A life size diorama showing the development of the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln and his Cabinet debating the issue.

After the library, we got the volkswalk route, which was divided into to two loops.  We did most of the Northern loop, which went up to Lincoln's grave, and then returned to the hotel.  

Lincoln's grave

We went for dinner to Loukinens' on 4th, sitting at the bar.  The Guinness (draft) was perfect!  The rest of the meal was good and we had an interesting, short conversation with the hostess, bartender, and one other patron.

Illinois Governor's Mansion.

Capital at dusk.