springfield

a couple weeks ago i happened to find myself in springfield, illinois. now, this was not entirely an accident. i had been wanting to go to springfield for many many years. it is, after all, the birthplace of one of my favorite people in history: abraham lincoln!

we took the opportunity to take in the sights, in all their lincolny glory. it was perfect timing for me to check out this stuff, i had just finished listening to 'assassination vacation' book on cd. it is all about presidential assassinations and had a large portion of the book devoted to all things lincoln. the books author had retold her experiences of visiting springfield herself.

we went, first, to his tomb. it was a rather strange feeling of knowing you are so close to what is left of such a great man. we drove around the cemetery for a little bit. it was very interesting to see all the old and new tombstones, some as old as the 1850s.

after rooting around town for a bit, we happened upon the house that lincoln had owned and lived in. we took the tour of the home and got to see the home in its restored state. the thing that surprised me the most, i think, was just how ugly it was! the wall paper and carpets were very bright and colorful. i hadnt really expected that. the walls were a white and red paisley pattern, and then the carpet was a strangely designed flower pattern with bars of green, blue and red running through it. by todays standards it was very tacky and totally clashed. the tour guide though, told us that that was the style of the day, 'harmony through variety' is what he called it. i just called it ugly and moved on.

it was really cool to see all that stuff. it is always fun to get a chance to be super nerdy history geek guy every once in a while. now i really want to go back to gettysburg again.

(more pics, and more)