Ride #20 - Going Downtown

The Old State Illinois Capitol. 7/26/2026 dwm

 Saturday morning was much warmer and more humid than the days before, humid enough it rained for a while around 8 am. The rain stopped shortly after and by the time it was 9, the roads were dry.

 

 This was more of a trip and less of a ride than the previous two days as I spent a lot more time off the bike than in the saddle. The mileage on this trip was only 13 miles, bringing the three day total to 90.

 

 It just over 4-and-a-half-miles downtown from our hotel. My first stop was the Old State Capitol which was rebuilt in the 1960s to commemorate the old building's role in defining freedom and where Abraham Lincoln delivered his "House Divided" speech.

 

The Lincoln House. 7/26/2026 dwm

After the old capitol, I rode over to the National Park in downtown Springfield where Abraham Lincoln and his family lived. The park also includes houses on their street and many of the trees that may have been planted in the 1850s.

Tours are free, but each day it's first-come, first-served when it comes to tickets. When I arrived I asked about a ticket, and got one for the 11:15 tour.

 

I had 40 minutes to wait, so I walked around the Lincoln home neighborhood before returning to the visitor center where I got to meet the 16rh president.

 

Me and "President Lincoln." 7/25/26 dwm

  President Lincoln was working the room, when he stood in front of me, he extended his hand and gave me a hearty shake. 

 

 He asked where I was from and I told him Janesville, Wisconsin. As Abe Lincoln, I figured he knew about his night in Janesville staying with the Tallman family, to this day the Tallman House is known for the night the future president spent in Janesville.

 

 The President Lincoln I was speaking to knew that story and also shared when he appeared in Beloit some time ago, one of the guests was attending from Janesville and insisted this Lincoln needed to go to the Rock County seat as well. I laughed as we reflected on 'history repeating itself.' Then I asked if I could take a picture and the result you can see for yourself.

 

The Lincoln family parlor. 7/26/26 dwm

Our tour guide for the Lincoln House was National Park Service ranger Andy. He gathered the group to outline the two rules: don't touch anything except the hand rails on the first floor and on the stairs. The second was to stay on the blue carpet on the second floor or an alarm will sound.

The guide told us that the parlor which took up almost half of the first floor was off-limits to Robert and Eddie who rough-housed so much the family was worried they would wreck all the furniture. A different part of the house was available when Abe and his two oldest sons wanted to wrestle.

 

The family added a second floor to their house to better accommodate their growing family. When Lincoln became president, they left their home behind, fully intending to return after he completed his terms in office. 

 

A wagon with signs pushing for Old Abe. 7/26/26 dwm

 Lincoln didn't return to Springfield and neither did his family. The oldest son, Robert, inherited the house which he owned for twenty some years but never lived in it again. 

 

 Robert sold it to the city of Springfield for $1.00 on the condition they preserve the home and never charge an admission for the public to see it. The National Park Service continues to honor the deal.

 

 An interesting observation about this neighborhood was its diversity. There were freed slaves, professionals, and state officials. There were also families like the Lincoln family who were well-off while others were trying to make ends meet.

 

The Lincoln backyard. 7/26/26 dwm

The Lincoln neighborhood is interesting to visit. Some of the neighboring houses were called home by friends of Abe and Mary.

 

Julia Sprigg lived diagonally across the intersection from the Lincoln home (see Sprigg's home below). Mary Todd Lincoln formed a life-long relationship with Julia and Hannah Shearer.

 

Shearer only lived in the neighborhood a short time, but Mrs. Lincoln corresponded with her for years.

 

The tour guide said the Lincoln home was important to people living on the east coast during the 1960 campaign and after Lincoln was elected because he was the first President who didn't come from one of the original 13 states. Some people out east thought Abe was still living in a log cabin, so pictures by news photographers assured them Lincoln and his family lived like them. (Please scroll down, more content below.)

 

Julia Sprigg's home. 7/24/2026 dwm

After spending 90 minutes walking around Springfield as it looked in the 1850s, it was time to ride several blocks west to see the current state capitol.

 

The Illinois Statehouse. 7/24/2026 dwm

My dad and I visited the Illinois capitol in 1974, just the second capital city out of 35 we eventually toured. 

A mere 22 years later, I was parking my bike outside the capitol and walking around to the west entrance to look at the rotunda and gaze up at the interior of its dome.

 

It brought back memories of those capitol trips; we usually visited the Secretary of State's office because they had a lot of cool things to give visitors. In one capitol, Iowa's I think, we were there when the legislature wasn't in session, but one of the state representatives was walking away from his desk and stopped to visit.

 

Here's a look at the interior of the Illinois State Capitol:

 

The statue, "Illinois welcoming the world," seemingly holds the dome in her hands. 7/24/26 dwm

The Governor's Mansion in Springfield, Illinois. 7/24/2026 dwm

The first floor's beauty is on display. 7/24/2026 dwm

Abraham Lincoln (left) seems ready to argue a point with Stephen A. Douglas 7/24/26 dwm