We spent 6 days in Springfield. Lulu was busy most of the week - but Friday we had the whole day together. We started with a nice breakfast at our hotel - then walked about 3 blocks to the Lincoln Presidential Museum. It is easily one of the top 5 museums in the world to me. They have done such a wonderful job with multi-media - the place easily keeps you busy for 4 hours. It is great for school kids and old people alike.
The Presidential Museum was the only admission we paid here this week. It cost $12 each.
After the main event - we used our iPhone to get an Uber car to take us the 3 miles to the tomb at the Oak Ridge Cemetery. The graveyard was covered with snow - the Lincoln Monument is very stately. Lincoln's body is under a 10 foot thick layer of concrete - grave robbers tried to steal the body for ransom once - they failed.
It is 1 PM - Saturday - the hotel van will take us to the airport for our 3 PM flight home. We will go through Dallas and be home at 9 PM. Six days on the road and we are going to make it home tonight.
I am lucky to have breakfast every morning across from this wonderful lady. She really enjoyed the Lincoln Museum and Library.
Lincoln was 6-4 - he and Washington stand head and shoulders above all the other presidents.
Booth - the murderer was a famous actor of the time. He probably did the South a big dis-service because Lincoln would have been way more sympathetic to the recovery than anyone
Lincoln kept a map in his office of all the Southern counties with the percentage of slaves in each county. Leon County - our county - was 80% slaves.
Mary Todd Lincoln was short - and she looks a little like Jan Davis :-)
This guy was cool. He is a school librarian - he had a group of kids there - and he dressed the part. He and Lulu hit it off very well.
This was Lincoln's War Room set from the movie - Lincoln.
All the costumes from the movie Lincoln were there.
Lincoln is buried 10 feet under this marker. At one time his coffin sat right where the marker is.
Three of Lincoln's sons are buried here - they never made it to adulthood. The wife of the 4th son - Robert - wanted him buried in Arlington Cemetery. He served with Grant during the Civil War.
Mary lived 17 years after Lincoln died. Her son Robert put her in a mental hospital. When she got out - she moved in with her sister in Springfield - but seldom left the house.
Statues from the tomb.
More statues from inside the tomb.
A committee collected private donations to build the tomb. They wanted the tomb downtown - Mary insisted it be 3 miles north of town in the quiet. The townspeople continued to build one downtown. She held her ground.
Everyone rubs Lincoln's nose on this statue - it is rubbed raw.
We called an Uber car on our iPhone and he picked us up at the tomb.
We finished the day at Lincoln's home just 2 blocks south of our hotel.
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