Springfield is Illinois' state capital. The capital is very beautiful, but security is very anal, worse than the US Capital and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. We had visited them after 9-11 and were understandable. After just visiting Indian and Ohio's Capitals, which had no metal detectors, I was quite appalled by the scope of their security. Even my shoes set off the detectors. The reason for the tight security, we were told, is that an individual shot last summer one of the outside guards to death. So the State of Illinois went overboard with their paranoia. With the history of their past governors, perhaps they need to have intense security.
Enough griping. The White Sox, who swept the World Series, were in town and were being honored with a joint session of the legislature. That was pretty exciting. The Capital is very beautiful and is a combination of French and neo-classical styles.
We also visited the State Museum, which is pretty interesting. The main floor is an exhibit of Changes, an interactive exploration of the geological, anthropological, and cultural developments of the State. Little known facts are that no dinosaurs have been found in Illinois, because it was part of a vast Inland Sea until the last ice age. Also of interest is the New Madrid fault, which produces almost two hundred earthquakes per year; most are imperceptible. One in 1811 changed the course of the Mississippi River, causing it to flow upstream for a while.
Go to the Lincoln Museum. This museum opened in spring, 2005 and is the state of the art. Everything is on one floor and the exhibits are four plus stars. The main theater gives a half hour presentation on the life of Lincoln, done in holographs, multi-screen, smoke producing and seat rumbling cannon fire and many other special effects. The price of admission is worth this show by itself. Another theater deals with the Presidential Library and some of the artifacts in the collection revealing himself or herself in ghost like fashion. The simplest, but most informative exhibit is the history of the Civil War done in four minutes, where each week equals one second. On the lower right of the screen is the casualty count of the North and South, which went over 1,300,000. The map begins with the election of Lincoln and follows the war on all of its fronts, emphasizing major battles in the war. The lines continuously move according to the territory won or lost with the eventual surrender of the CSA in Texas. There are many other exhibits, each one unique and very interesting. This is a must see for anyone, who either loves or hates A. Lincoln. There is something for everyone.
We then walked the five blocks to Lincoln's home in Springfield. The four block square historical neighborhood is owned and operated by the NPS. Pick up your free tickets for a ½ hour guided tour of the house at the Visitor Center. The VC also has a movie on the house, if you can't spare the time to go inside. The movie continues with a montage of the life of Lincoln, narrated by Carl Sandburg. The film is grainy, but the soundtrack of Aaron Copland's music and Sandburg's voice is worth the minor inconvenience. Lincoln lived in this house for seventeen years while acting as an attorney in the Springfield area. Many of the artifacts are original, while other ones are period pieces reflecting his lifestyle.
Two other houses on the block are open to visitors with exhibits on the archeology and life in Springfield.
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