The Heart of Illinois

After shivering in the cold for an extra 10 minutes or so, bright white lights approaching from the distance signaled that I would be getting closer to the heart of Illinois.

Soon, I could read the words "Lincoln Service" (#15 on my second Illinois 200 list) lit up on the engine display as Amtrak train #305 pulled into the Summit train station (#16).  I was soon onboard and settled in for a fine ride that would get me to Springfield about 3 hours later.

While the darkness largely obscured much of what was outside the train windows, it made the decorative Christmas lights really stand out when we passed by homes and through towns.

It was rather quiet in downtown Springfield as I walked toward my hotel, but there were areas that were fabulously lit up, especially in the plaza (#17) around the Old State Capitol.

Here is the view of the Old State Capitol building from ground level.

And from my room on the 26th floor of the Wyndham Springfield City Centre Hotel (#18), I got great views of the lights, especially those strung up on the dome of the current State Capitol building (#19).

Above is the current Illinois State Capitol building.  Below is Union Square Park, right by Union Station.  Both photos are from the view I had outside my hotel room window.  Please note, all photos in the post are mine unless otherwise stated.

When I awoke the next morning, the daylight revealed many notable sights in Springfield.

The Illinois State Capitol appears to the left in this photo.  Near the center, you can see the reddish brick walkway in the Old State Capitol Plaza--that building is blocked by a taller building in this photo.  Below, through the reflection of the curtains, you can see the Illinois Governor's Mansion, with a circular walkway in front of it.

I visited a few of them that day, starting with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.

The Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library are the buildings that appear near the center of this photo, with cylindrical forms.

I first went there back in July 2005, shortly after it opened.  This most recent visit was a great chance to reconnect with a memorable museum.

The first exhibit I went to see was the temporary exhibit that looked at the four presidents with an Illinois connection:  Abraham Lincoln, Ulyssses S. Grant, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama.  There were various artifacts on display, and excerpts from speeches on the displays and playing on a screen.  Close to the entrance of the exhibit was a display of the first Illinois state constitution, as you can see in the photo below.

This exhibit really helped give depth to these leaders and what factors influenced their leadership.

The museum does a fabulous job helping acquaint people with Abraham Lincoln, the most notable of all Springfield citizens, and the quintessential Illinoisan. 

Above and below are views of the primary permanent exhibit entrances in the museum.

The times and experiences of his life are brought alive in the exhibits, with recreated scenes of log cabin life where he grew up, his Springfield law office, and rooms in the White House during the momentous years of his presidency, like when he announced his intention to issue the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet.  There are also other cool visual displays, like Tim Russert offering commentary on the four presidential candidates in the 1860 election, and the Sectional War in 4 minutes.  Toward the end of the 2nd exhibit on that takes a look at his life is a space that recreates when Mr. Lincoln's body lay in state in the House of Representatives chambers in the Old Illinois State Capitol.  I didn't notice before that above the speaker's podium is a portrait of George Washington.  It was quite profound to see the first US president looking over the 16th.

The two shows at the museum also facilitate a strong connection to the history of Abraham Lincoln and his times.  The Union Theater has Through Lincoln's Eyes, which uses the effort to create a portrait of Abraham Lincoln as a guide to tell his life story, with lots of stunning audiovisual effects.  Toward the end, the narrator noted that as we think about the values he advocated in his life, we see ourselves in Abraham Lincoln.  I also went to see the show Ghosts of the Library.  It has a great message about how we connect with history and we bring it alive when we see that we strive for the same values as they did in the past, and so their stories become our stories.

I also saw an exhibit featuring Nativity/Christmas decorations from presidents of the 20th Century.

It was around midday when I met up with Dave Joens, the director of the Illinois State Archives, who I know through my Grandma.  We departed the museum and took in some of the sights in and around downtown Springfield.  He even showed me around the Illinois State Capitol building.  The renovations in the Senate chamber (please see photo below) had finished since my last visit in September, so I was pleased to have the chance to go inside.

I also liked seeing the Christmas and other holiday decorations in the rotunda.

a menorah

a creche scene

Dave took this picture of me in the rotunda.

This sign explains the religious displays in the rotunda.

It was also interesting to get his perspective as he showed me around.  Then we had lunch at Boone's Saloon, a popular spot for Illinois state government workers and members of the General Assembly.  While I'm not a big fan of mayonnaise, I decided to order a turkey burger with a lemon avocado mayonnaise on it, and sweet potato waffle fries on the side.  It was a tasty meal.  And it was great having the chance to spend time with Dave, who allowed me a more personal connection to Illinois state government.

Here's my meal, with the signature "B" to mark this as a Boone's Saloon burger.

Dave then dropped me off at the Old State Capitol, where I went inside to look around briefly.

Outside the Old State Capitol

Above is the House of Representatives chamber in the Old State Capitol, with George Washington's portrait behind the speaker's position.  Below is the rotunda in the Old State Capitol.

The scene at the Old State Capitol Plaza, near the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office building.

I then dashed south to the Governor's Mansion for a tour.  The tour guide showed us around the rooms, noting what was new with the recent renovations, and the furniture and artwork of note in each room.  There were also fascinating stories in the various rooms connected with different governors, like the rooms that served as their offices, famous dignitaries who visited, and the antics of former governors' children who lived there, like the ones who slid down the banister of the main staircase.  The house looked splendid with the Nativity/Christmas decorations up, along with all the other pieces of artwork currently on display.  The renovation effort did a great job making the house look so resplendent again, allowing citizens to connect with "the People's House" as Governor and First Lady Rauner have dubbed it.

Then I went to 4 PM Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (#20).  It was special to go to the seat of the See of Springfield Diocese (#21) as a way to wrap up the Illinois Bicentennial year of 2018.  The Cathedral is notable in that its architectural design makes it appear like an ancient temple, especially with its columns and boxy look inside, perhaps a fitting statement in the place where Illinois government has its seat.

Following Mass, I wandered around central Springfield, including the area of the Lincoln Home Historic District, which was accessible for anyone to walk in, even though the site was not open for guided tours because of a lapse in federal appropriations.

Above is the Illinois Bicentennial Plaza all lit up.  Below is a view of the Illinois State Capitol from the Bicentennial Plaza.

I ended up at La Piazza for dinner, with a honey chicken salad, and lasagna.  This restaurant is next door to Maldaner's (#22), which has been running as a business since the 1880's, and thereby claims to the be the oldest continuously operating restaurant on Historic US Route 66.

I wrapped up my day taking in splendid views of Springfield all lit up from the 30th floor of the hotel.

The next morning, after checking out of the hotel, I walked toward the train station.  I stopped at Cafe Moxo to get a delicious breakfast of strawberry banana French toast.  There was plenty of history to take in on my walk, with markers explaining various sites related to Mr. Lincoln, like the site of the Globe Tavern where he and Mrs. Lincoln rented a room during the early years of their marriage, which is now a parking lot.  The Springfield Amtrak station is on the site of the train station where President Lincoln's funeral train arrived in Springfield in May 1865 (#23).

the Springfield Amtrak train station

Here is the view from the platform at the Springfield train station.  The Illinois State Capitol building appears just right of center.

After a relatively short wait, Amtrak train #302 pulled in, and a huge crowd of us boarded.

We headed northeastward, along a corridor paralleling I-55 and Historic Route 66, traveling past farm fields and through small towns.

The view of the Vermillion River near the station in Pontiac, IL

Here, mostly likely north of Pontiac, IL, is a vintage barnside ad for Meramac Caverns, further along Route 66 in Missouri.

The pavement closest to the foreground is a Frontage Road that is the alignment of Historic US Route 66.  The pavement near the yellowish trash receptacles further back is Interstate 55.

The view of Washington Street near the station in Dwight, IL

We were just about right on time reaching the station at Summit, where I detrained and then met my parents who came to pick me up and bring me home.

As I headed home and settled back into the routine of home, I came to realize how this trip touched me in a deep and special way.

As I've mentioned before, Springfield embodies many defining aspects of Illinois, especially as encompassed by the person of Abraham Lincoln, the quintessential Illinoisan, and so going there feels like a homecoming of sorts, and this trip was no exception.  I spent much time throughout 2018 taking in the sights and places, to experience what Illinois has to offer, as a way of getting better acquainted with this state I call home.  It was particularly special to celebrate the Bicentennial of Illinois and reconnect with my home state in deeper ways than before, especially after having experienced a time of separation from Illinois during my undergraduate years.  The time I was away helped me feel more passionately about being an Illinoisan, and I've appreciated being here even more in the 5 1/2 years since I returned home after my undergraduate graduation, building upon the sense of pride I had in all the years while growing up in Illinois.

Many of the sites I went to during this trip were places I had visited before while growing up, so it was special to revisit them and thereby reconnect with earlier times in my life even as I experienced these places anew, like the Governor's Mansion, the Old State Capitol, and most especially the Lincoln Presidential Museum, as my first visit to that museum came in 2005, an extraordinarily significant year for me.

I could enjoy visiting these places in a new way in light of the Bicentennial year celebration, as well as the start of new terms of office for the members of the General Assembly and executive officials, which happened a couple of weeks after this trip.

While I didn't fully conceive it in when I planned this trip weeks before while taking advantage of a flash sale on Amtrak fares, this trip was a very fitting way to cap off the month of December and the year of 2018 when I focused on celebrating the Bicentennial.

And now as before I'm glad and proud to say that I am an Illinoisan.

Dave got this photo of me with the Illinois State Capitol in the background.  To the left is the Stratton Office Building.  The collection of buildings that appears to the right of me in the photo includes the State Archives (#24), the Illinois State Museum, and the Howlett Secretary of State building.